Toxic equivalency factors for dioxin-like PCBs.

The WHO-European Centre for Environment and Health (WHO-ECEH) and the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), have initiated a project to create a data base containing information relevant to the setting of Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs), and, based on the available information, to assess the relative potencies and to derive consensus TEFs for PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs. Available data on the relative toxicities of dioxin-like PCBs with respect to a number of endpoints were collected and analyzed. A consultation was held at the WHO-European Centre for Environment and Health in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, at which the available data were discussed to derive TEFs for dioxin-like PCBs. TEFs were recommended for 3 non-onho-, 8 mono-orthoand 2 di-ortho-substituted PCBs. The consultation recommended that the project should be extended to include PCDDs and PCDFs and other dioxin-like halogenated environmental pollutants. It was also recommended that the possibilities of separate TEFs for body burdens and ecotoxicology should be explored. 1049