Assessment of dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls from a total diet study conducted in Pavia, Northern Italy

Roberta Turci (1) , Giovanna Turconi (2) , Sergio Comizzoli (2) , Carla Roggi (2) , Claudio Minoia (3)

1 Laboratory for Environmental and Toxicological Testing
2 Department of Applied Sciences, Section of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine
3 Laboratory for Environmental and toxicological Testing

Abstract Diet is considered to be the main source of body burden of PCBs in the general population. The most cost-effective and reliable way to estimate the dietary intake is based on Total Diet Studies. The aim of the present study is to provide a reliable estimate of recent average dietary intakes of PCBs in Northern Italy. Congener-specific analysis of PCBs has been undertaken on total diet samples collected at the Pavia university cafeteria. The average daily intake for total PCBs was calculated to be 0.26 μg/person/day. The major contribution toward PCB intake is accounted for by pooled samples of bread, cereals and potatoes, followed by the protein composite and fruit and vegetables. Although diverse dietary habits, and differencies in sampling and analytical procedures, make comparison between different studies difficult, the daily intake of PCBs in Northern Italy can be located in the lower part of the range for values reported in the literature.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Roberta Turci, Giovanna Turconi, Sergio Comizzoli, Carla Roggi, Claudio Minoia. Assessment of dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls from a total diet study conducted in Pavia, Northern Italy. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2006, 23 (09), pp.919-938. ⟨10.1080/02652030600699296⟩. ⟨hal-00577587⟩