Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organohalogenated contaminants in selected foodstuffs from Spanish market basket: Estimated intake by the population from Spain

Abstract

In this study the presence of residues of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 20 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 18 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated in 12 eggs and 117 dairy products comprising milk, cheese, yoghourt, and butter that were randomly acquired from the markets of the two capitals of the Spanish region of the Canaries in 2012. Sampling can be considered representative since it has included the main brands that are marketed in the whole country. Dairy products and eggs are important exposure routes for persistent organic pollutants in humans, and the population of Spain presents high rates of consumption of these foods. The dietary intakes of these contaminants were calculated for children and adults. The highest levels of OCPs and PCBs were detected in cheese samples, whereas milk was the food that showed the highest level of PAHs. The mean daily intake of OCPs was very low and represented less than 0.5% of the tolerable daily intakes (TDIs) of these contaminants, except in the case of dieldrin whose intake was 9.03% of TDI. The intake of dioxin toxic equivalents (TEQs) from these foods, calculated from dioxin-like PCBs, was 14.07% of the TDI (2 pg kg-1 b.w. d-1), being cheese the food that contributed more to this intake. The mean estimated dietary intake of the sum of the 16 PAHs was 92.4 ng kg-1 b.w. d-1 for children, and 35.2 ng kg-1 b.w. d-1 for adults. When we considered the carcinogenic potential of these intakes of PAHs, the calculated values are associated with a 1.6/106 increase in the risk for the development of cancer in an adult, and 1.9/106 in children from eating dairy products and eggs.