Incidents with Dioxins and PCBs in Food and Feed-Investigative Work, Risk Management and Economic Consequences

Abstract

The identification of contamination sources within the food chain with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), ("dioxins"), and PCBs is difficult and complex. PCDD/PCDF can be formed as unintentional compounds in a number of chemical processes as well as in almost every combustion process. PCBs were intentionally produced chemicals that were manufactured for decades before the ban in marketing and use in many countries around 1985. The pattern of occurrence can change from the original source in particular via feedingstuffs to food of animal origin as result of bioaccumulation. A number of examples illustrate the challenging detective work and key scientific aspects for identification of the sources, for support of the risk management and for performance of monitoring programs. The contamination of milk and milk products in European countries with dioxins was caused by compound feeds containing citrus pulp pellets from Brazil which had high dioxin levels as a result of the use of heavily contaminated lime used for neutralization. The Belgian dioxin crisis was caused by a feed additive heavily contaminated with PCBs which were discharged into a recycled fat used in the production of animal feed. Guar gum from India was contaminated with sodium pentachlorophenate and dioxins. Clay was found to be possibly highly contaminated with dioxins possibly formed by geothermal processes over time; use of such clay as feed additive or for human intake led to elevated dioxin levels in food and humans. Bioanalytical screening in combination with comprehensive physicochemical investigations led to the detection of brominated flame retardants and brominated dioxins in a feed additive. Buffalo milk was contaminated in Italy presumably caused by illegal deposition of waste. High PCB levels in fuel oil for drying of breadcrumb used as a feed ingredient caused a major dioxin crisis with pork How to cite this paper: Malisch, R. (2017) Incidents with Dioxins and PCBs in Food and Feed-Investigative Work, Risk Management and Economic Consequences. Journal of Environmental Protection, 8, 744-785.

Reviewing the relevance of dioxin and PCB sources for food from animal origin and the need for their inventory, control and management

“…Additionally, relevant information from scientific literature and studies in other countries are included, to provide an overview of PCB and PCDD/F contamination sources for food-producing animals. The study does not address specific contamination sources for feed incidents, which have recently been addressed in another publication [ 1 ].…”

“…Compared to the PCDD/F reservoirs in soils, which largely reflect the high historic contamination, the current atmospheric PCDD/F release and deposition in Germany and other countries with emission regulations in place is of minor importance for the exposure of livestock and humans via food consumption. In addition, feed and bedding can lead to PCDD/F contamination for all livestock [ 1 , 18 , 136 ]; Fig. 1 ).…”

“…Polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widely recognized environmental and food contaminants [ 1 , 2 ]. The use of PCBs and their weak life-cycle management have resulted in a widespread contamination of the technosphere and the environment.…”

“…Animal feeds and feed additives are major sources of dioxin and PCB contamination for food of animal origin. Feed incidents have traditionally been the main reason for exceeding maximum levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in food of animal origin [ 1 ], such as the Belgian PCB and dioxin incident in 1999 [ 18 , 19 ], the citrus pellet case from Brazil [ 20 , 21 ], the Irish pork scandal [ 22 , 23 ], the Chile pork contamination [ 24 ] and the bio-diesel incident in Germany [ 25 ], which mainly impacted large agroindustry farms [ 2 , 26 ]).…”

Application of the AhR reporter gene assay for the determination of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs in feed samples

“…Dioxins and PCBs can contaminate plant-based animal feeds through a diversity of pathways, including the airborne deposition onto plant and soil. The contamination may be a result of local pollutant emission, industrial and non-industrial activities, contamination during production and transport, carelessness of management production, or may result from illegal practices ( 2 , 13 , 17 , 24 ). Compound feed may also be contaminated by components of animal origin such as animal fat, fish meals, and oil, or minerals.…”