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The bioaccumulation of lipophilic environmental contaminants in farm animals is an important issue to control and prevent human exposure to toxic pollutants. Free-range hens were used as a model to assess the transfer and the bioaccumulation of PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs and NDL-PCBs from the soil to eggs in an area in the Campania region particularly affected by pollution, the "Land of Fires". We determined the following ranges of concentrations in eggs: 0.90-5.51 pg WHO-TEQ g

This study assesses for the first time the levels of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs in sea turtles coming from Tyrrhenian Sea. The concentrations measured in liver of the 24 specimens analysed were 6.90 vs 5.65 pg g−1 wet weight (ww) for PCDD/Fs and 10.95 vs 0.79 ng g−1 ww for DL-PCBs in Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas, respectively. The DL-PCB levels resulted very higher in Caretta caretta than Chelonia mydas probably due to the different eating habits between the two species investigated. Furthermore, the highest levels of DL-PCBs were determined in livers of the adult Caretta caretta turtles of male sex. Positive correlations were found out between PCB-81 and the body mass (BM) of turtles (r2 = 0.6561; p = 0.001) and between PCB-81 and the curved carapace length (CCL) (r2 = 0.6250; p = 0.006) suggesting that the body burden of contaminants is related to the body size. The mean TEQ values, as a matter of risk assessment for turtles, were 3.64 vs 1.62 pg TEQ g−1 ww for PCDD/Fs and 8.72 vs 2.16 pg TEQ g−1 ww for DL-PCBs in Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas, respectively. The results reported in this study increase the data available about the consequences of the Mediterranean Sea contamination by organochlorine pollutants and highlight an evident PCDD/F and PCB bioaccumulation in sea turtle tissues that threatens the survival of these marine organisms.

Mussels can be affected by environmental contaminants, as non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and cadmium (Cd). Moreover, mussels may concentrate human enteric viruses, like noroviruses (NoVGI/GII), astrovirus (AsV) and rotavirus (RV). Herein, to establish a relationship between environmental and viral contamination, with the aim to ensure human food safety, both chemical and microbiological analysis were carried out in mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis, farmed in Campania region (Italy). Chemical analysis revealed ranges below the European maximum limits, and were: ∑6 NDL-PCBs (28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180) 0.579–16.857 ng g−1 wet weight (ww); BaP LOQ (

The domestic cat (Felis catus) was used as a sentinel of exposure to polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in indoor urban environments y. Sera from 120 cats were pooled to form 30 different groups selected by age ( 2 ≤ 8 years; > 8 years), sex, municipality (Bologna and Turin) and environment (indoor vs. outdoor). Test portions of 1 mL were analyzed by means of gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) for six selected indicators non-dioxin-like PCBs (∑6 PCBs: congeners #28, #52, #101, #132, #153 and #180) and the results were computed in the upper-bound mode. The internal dose of PCBs attributable to the cats' alimentary lipid intake ranged from 32.4 to 1,446 ng/g (P50 165; mean 258). The Wilcoxon test revealed significantly lower PCB burden in “outdoor” groups than in “indoor” groups. Age correlated well with the heptachlorinated and most bio-accumulative congener, PCB #180, and slightly with hexachlorinated PCBs #138 and #153. Contamination attributable to house dust collected in 15 living-rooms ranged from 10.0 to 279 ng/g dry weight (P50 97.4; mean 94.4). Exposure estimates indicated a 0.6–16 ng/kg bw range of daily ∑6 PCB intake from a default value of 200 mg/cat of dust ingestion. The intake of PCBs due to dust ingestion fell within the same order of magnitude as that computed from a 60 g daily intake of commercial dry pet foods, while inhalation accounted for 0.21–8.2 ng/kg bw/day, on setting the nominal ∑6 PCB contamination in outdoor and indoor air at 0.37 and 15 ng/m3, respectively. Italian indoor cats could be exposed to higher levels of ∑6 PCBs than the Reference Dose (RfD) of 10 ng/kg/bw/day; this supports the World Health Organization's statement that the quality of the indoor environment is a major determinant of health.

Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorodibenzo-furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs) enter the food chain from the environment. In this study, we report the 2008-2018 time-trends in the PCDD/F and DL-PCB contamination of milk from buffaloes fed on local forage in rural areas of the Campania region. Validated according to QA/QC criteria, the dataset (N = 808 on a total of 2068 samples, after excluding follow-up results and outliers) was computed on the upper-bound value pg WHO-TEQ2005 g-1fat. We assessed time-trends and assayed baseline contamination levels, which displayed log-normal distribution. A significant decreasing trend (p < 0.01) was observed from 2008 to 2009 and 2010; the P50-P95 range fell from 2.37-8.48 pg WHO-TEQ2005 g-1fat (N = 393) in 2008 to 1.73-4.61 in 2009 (N = 86) and to 0.67-1.46 in 2010 (N = 42). From 2010 to 2018 (N = 329), no significant variation was found among years and the related dataset fitted a log-normal distribution (p < 0.05). Occurrence descriptors indicated that the baseline contamination of dairy products (mean = 0.54; P50-P95 = 0.47-1.24) in the Campania Region was well below the EU regulatory limit in force (5.5 pg WHO-TEQ2005 g-1fat). Given the Tolerable Weekly Intake of 2 pg WHO-TEQ kg-1 body weight (bw) proposed by the EFSA for PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs, this level of baseline contamination is discussed with regard to the orientation of food safety and food security risk connected with buffalo mozzarella cheese production.

The occurrence of traces elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Sb, As, Tl, Pb, Sn, U and Se) in individuals of Helix aspersa from five sites of Campania region was studied. They are representative primary consumers in the terrestrial ecosystem and useful key indicator species to evaluate the environmental impact of chemicals on our lands. Each sample was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a microwave assisted digestion procedure. Sentinel snails allowed us to have information about the bioavailability of these elements into the environment similar in the main part of the regional land. Results indicated that elemental concentrations in all snail samples were significantly low. But within the five selected areas, the amount for each element was higher in the area of Caserta. Even though maximum admissible limits from European regulation are not even defined for these matrices, the area of Caserta represents a territory where environmental contamination may represent a high risk for human and animal health.

Hens' eggs collected in home-producing farms located in different areas of the Campania region of southern Italy were analysed for six NDL-polychlorobiphenyls (PCB indicators), 17 polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), and 12 congeners of dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs). In the investigated area, waste from civil, industrial and hospital activities was illegally dumped and in many cases burned, so the area is called the 'Land of fire'. This illicit practice has been considered the main source of pollution in this territory and the cause of the persistent organic pollutants' (POPs) contamination in the neighbouring lands intended for agricultural use and livestock. The results, which were obtained from the analysis of 56 samples of eggs, showed levels of contamination by dioxins and PCBs that have often exceeded the action levels set by European Union Recommendation 711/2013 and sometimes even exceeded the maximum levels set by Commission Regulation (EU) 1259/2011. The median PCDD/Fs was 0.41 pg TEQ g-1 fat (range = 0.01-6.18 pg TEQ g-1 fat) and the median concentration of DL-PCBs was 0.70 pg TEQ g-1 fat (range = 0.01-14.60 pg TEQ g-1 fat), whereas NDL-PCBs median was 7.35 ng g-1 fat (range = 0.48-67.55 ng g-1 fat). Nevertheless, the estimated weekly intake (EWI) calculated for consumers of eggs home produced in Campania is lower than the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) established by the European Union Scientific Committee on Food (SCF).

A method for determination of 11 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), using HPLC coupled to a fluorescence detector, has been optimised and validated, according to European Community rules. Sample preparation involves alkaline digestion of mussel tissue, liquid–liquid extraction of organic compounds and solid phase clean-up. Accuracy and precision of the method were determined by a validation study, carried out to demonstrate that the method is useful for both screening purposes and confirmation. Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2007/333/EC stated the performance criteria for the analysis of the only benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in food products of animal origin, since BaP is the most studied PAH. We extended the BaP analysis performance criteria to other 10 toxic PAHs (listed in Commission Recommendation (EC) No. 2005/108/EC) and the validation study was performed also in agreement with Commission Decision (EC) No. 2002/657/EC. The method was applied to investigate 27 mussel samples from actively producing shellfish plants located in Campania (Italy) and variable levels of PAHs were detected ranging from

Maize (Zea mays L.) can intercept airborne pollutants before their deposition on soil. Selected non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (Σ6NDL-PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Σ8PBDEs) with feed and food safety relevance were measured on maize leaves harvested for silage in dairy animals from 28 fields in Italy. Analyses were carried out by gas chromatography coupled to high- and low-resolution mass spectrometry. Contamination ranged from 0.65 to 5.3 ng g−1 with 12% moisture for Σ6NDL-PCBs, and from 2.7 to 6.2 for Σ8 PBDEs. Modelled contamination in cow’s milk was estimated to fall within the range 0.27–16 ng g−1 for PCBs, 0.17–1.9 for PBDE number 47, and 0.22–2.1 for PBDE number 99 on a lipid basis. The results indicate that maize silage alone may raise Σ6NDL-PCB contamination in dairy milk up to the 95th percentile in the European Union. Results are discussed in terms of air quality standards able to support food safety.

In 2008, after the crisis of buffalo dairy fields in Campania, Italy, an assessment of the contamination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) was also necessary for other animal species bred in the region. The contents of PCDDs, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dl-PCBs were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HR-GC/MS) (according to USEPA method 1613) in 69 sheep and goat milk samples from 63 farms. In eleven samples from six sheep farms, the PCDD/Fs levels exceeded the maximum limit of 3.0 pg g(-1) fat established by the European Commission, in particular the concentrations ranged between 3.89 and 12.90 pg g(-1) fat. Statistical treatment of the results for the congener profiles of the non-compliant and compliant samples has been used to identify the sources of contamination.

The objective of this study was to estimate the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs and NDL-PCBs) in blood serum obtained from non-occupationally exposed volunteers living in the Naples area (Campania Region, southern Italy). The samples were taken from two geographical zones: one was an urban area of Naples and its surroundings and the other was located in an area deemed to be at high environmental risk. Total mean concentrations of these persistent pollutants proved to be in the range 1.43–17.38 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 g −1 lipid for PCDD/Fs, and 0.98–25.45 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 g −1 lipid for DL-PCBs. NDL-PCBs were in the range 316.57–482.90 ng g −1 lipid. No significant differences were observed between women and men, nor between donors living in the two different areas. The mean levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in the population living in the Naples area were lower than those observed in some studies of populations living in exposed areas (near incineration plants or industrial sites) and urban or rural areas.

Dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) are ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants of recognized negative effects on human health. Assessing highly polluted areas should be an important public health issue. This study proposes to use the milk of grazing animals as a bioindicator of dl-PCB contamination in the environment. The hypothesis is that milk concentration of dl-PCBs are related to soil concentrations of these compounds, and that soils are generally reflective of a larger environmental issue of dl-PCB contamination. In this study, we evaluate the possibility of predicting soil concentrations using milk of sheep, cows and buffalos in a spatial model. For this purpose, samples of soil and milk collected in Campania (Italy) were introduced in a GIS platform to perform geostatistical analysis for building a simple predictive model. The ordinary least squares regressions (OLS) showed a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.05) between soil and milk contamination. However, this relationship was spatially variable. Thus, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) was performed, obtaining R 2 values of 0.91, 0.77 and 0.66 for sheep’s, buffalo’s and cow’s milk respectively. Assessed the mathematical relationships between the variables, new data was introduced to evaluate the performance of the model. Predictions of soil contamination with dl-PCBs using sheep’s, cow’s and buffalo’s milk showed a mean error of 23%, 25% and 36% respectively. According to these results the sheep’s milk can be considered the best bioindicator of dlPCBs contamination among the three species. The results of this project evidence the potentialities of the proposed approach to assess bioindicator performance in a spatial predictive model.

An extraordinary plan of official control was carried out in 2008 in Campania (Italy) with the aim to monitor polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) levels in buffalo milk and to detect the contaminated farms, most of which are located in Caserta province. For these companies has been ordered seizure and execution of additional analyses has been requested in farms falling in the nearness, within a distance of 3km, for a total of 304 farms examined. Moreover, all non-compliant farms were subjected to a periodic sampling in order to monitor trends in the levels of contamination. In this paper the distribution and the concentrations of 17 PCDD/Fs and 12 dioxin-like PCBs in 460 samples of buffalo milk collected in the province of Caserta (Italy) are presented. The range of WHO-TEQ values for the PCDD/Fs in milk was 0.17pgTEQg(-1)fat and 87.0pgTEQg(-1)fat with a mean value 3.63pgTEQg(-1)fat and medium value 2.25pgTEQg(-1)fat. The concentrations of dioxin-like PCBs in the analysed samples ranged from 0.21pgTEQg(-1)fat to 15.9pgTEQg(-1)fat and the WHO-TEQ values of sum of PCDDs, PCDFs and dl-PCBs ranged from 0.45pgTEQg(-1)fat to 103.0pgTEQg(-1)fat. The geo-referencing analysis allowed to individuate a restricted area of the region object of the present study where is located the majority of the non-compliant farms. The study of the congeners distribution has finally suggested that the likely cause of contamination is to be attributed to the illegal burning of waste.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and certain dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) are a family of chemically-related lipophilic compounds characterized by similar toxicity. Due to their properties they are universally distributed in the environment and classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). From most of studies carried out to evaluate human dietary intake, milk and dairy products result as a major contributors of PCDD/Fs uptake. Of course the main source of milk contamination is animal feeds. Lactating ruminants, cows included, transfer these compounds to the food chain by ingestion of contaminated vegetables or soil. Their resistance to degradation and a high lipophilicity means that PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs may be accumulated into fat tissues from which they are transferred to milk during lactation period. Seventy-nine cows milk samples, collected in the monitoring plan 2008, were analyzed for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs. Eleven milk samples were non-compliant corresponding to five breeding livestock located in Caserta province. The distribution of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs congeners in these samples was examined in order to determine the likely sources of dioxins. The results show that the congener profile is characterized by a prevalence of PCDFs in respect of PCDDs, that represents the typical pattern of thermal origin contamination.