Search

This study focuses on perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) content in chickens’ eggs and the livers of farm animals.

Milk from cows, goats and sheep was analysed in terms of content of fourteen perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) were investigated in six species of bivalve mollusc purchased on the Polish retail market. The risk to consumers was calculated as a percentage of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) (2 pg World Health Organization toxic equivalent (WHO-TEQ) kg−1 body weight (b.w.)).

The transfer of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from a contaminated environment into the food chain is a serious consumer safety problem. As part of the Polish National Surveillance Program of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in food of animal origin, a concentration of PCDD/Fs of 4.61 ± 0.75 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat was determined in a sample of free-range eggs, which exceeded the permitted limit of 2.5 pg WHO-TEQ/g. The aim of the study was to investigate the source of the egg contamination and the risk for the eggs’ consumers.

This paper reports polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in fish collected from Polish and Vietnamese farms and the related risk for consumers.

Dioxins (PCDD/PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), still remain of interest to the European Union due to their toxic effects even at very low doses. However, it was only after the so-called “Belgian crisis”, that the European Commission (EC), aiming at a high level of consumers health protection, introduced a number of legal solutions strived at ensuring food and feed safety. The strategy adopted by the European Union allowed for the harmonization of on environmental pollution and the food chain regulatory rules. This article discusses the applicable EU legal regulations regarding dioxins and PCBs in food and feed and the research methods used in the official control of undesirable contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are a group of chemicals that belong to the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They are widely distributed, degradation resistant, bioaccumulative, able to be transported by the air, and toxic to humans and wildlife. To protect the environment and human health, in 2019 and 2020, the European Union prohibited the use and manufacture of PFASs, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and their salts (2020/784/EU and 2019/2021/EU). As a result of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), risk assessment in 2020, a tolerable weekly intake (TWI), was established for the compounds that are responsible for approximately half of the exposure to PFASs: perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) as 4.4 ng/kg body weight per week. The intake of contaminated food is the key source of human exposure to PFAS. Therefore, in 2022 European Commission has established maximum levels for PFAS in certain foodstuffs (2022/2388/EU repealed by 2023/915/EU), and recommended monitoring PFAS levels in food (2022/1431/EU). According to EFSA scientific opinion from 2020, fish meat, fruits and fruit products and eggs contributed the most to the exposure of the European population. In this article, the current status of PFASs contamination of food on European markets was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dioxins (PCDD/PCDF), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The main route of human exposure to these compounds is the diet, with food of animal origin being the dominant source (approximately 80%). The quality and safety of feed and feed ingredients has a direct impact on the safety of food obtained from animals. Feeds contribute significantly to the presence of these compounds in food. This is confirmed by numerous national and international incidents caused by dioxin-contaminated feed materials. Therefore, it is important to follow routes those pollutants find to feed. Thanks to this, it will be easier to reduce feed contamination, that is crucial for food safety and directly affects the reduction of the amount of dioxins taken up by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]