Surprising findings following a Belgian food contamination with polychlorobiphenyls and dioxins.

The Belgian PCB and dioxin incident of January-June 1999: exposure data and potential impact on health.

In January 1999, 500 tons of feed contaminated with approximately 50 kg of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 1 g of dioxins were distributed to animal farms in Belgium, and to a lesser extent in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. This study was based on 20,491 samples collected in the database of the Belgian federal ministries from animal feed, cattle, pork, poultry, eggs, milk, and vario...

Food contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins in Belgium. Effects on the body burden.

The core paper of this debate shows that persistent organic pollutant residues of the 12 chemicals targeted for a phase out under the Stockholm Convention are present in almost all categories of food in the US food supply. For dioxins, the study does not use measured data, but is based upon potential dioxin residues in selected food items. Polychlorinated biphenyls are not included in the study...

Negative chemical ionization studied of human and food chain contamination with xenobiotic chemicals.

Negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry with a mixture of isobutane, methylene chloride, and oxygen as the reagent gas has been used to explore contamination of environmental substrates with xenobiotic chemicals. The substrates in question, fish tissue, human seminal plasma, and human adipose tissue, were cleaned up by one of the following three cleanup procedures: (1) continuous liquid-...

Dioxins in Belgian feed and food: chickens and eggs.

Dioxins in the Food Chain: Background

● Summary ● Introduction ● What are the major sources of dioxin and related compounds in the human diet? ● How do food animals become contaminated with dioxin and related compounds? ● How can dioxin contamination in food animals be decreased? ● Have there been any serious incidents of contamination of food products with dioxins above background levels recently? ● What activities involving dioxi...