Environ Int. 2015 Jul;80:72-8. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.03.005. Epub 2015 Apr 19.
1Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Am Versuchsfeld 11-13,
34128 Kassel, Germany. Electronic address: joerg.winkler@lhl.hessen.de.
Abstract
During
a regional monitoring project of organic-farmed, free-range and
cage-free eggs, high levels of dioxin-like compounds were detected in
organic-farmed eggs, using the dioxin responsive chemical-activated
luciferase gene expression (DR-CALUX®) bioassay. Further evaluations
performed with GC-HRMS (gas chromatography in combination with high
resolution mass spectrometry) revealed elevated amounts of
non-dioxin-like (non-dl) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dominated by
most lipophilic congeners like PCB 138, 153 and 180 and of dioxin-like
(dl) PCBs, with a congener pattern in the descending order of PCB 118,
156, 167, 105, 189, 157, 105, 126 and PCB 77. Contaminations with
polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) appeared of minor priority,
with only hepta- and octa-substituted dioxins above their limits of
quantification (LOQs). The pattern of polychlorinated dibenzofurans
(PCDFs) was dominated by low amounts of tetra- and penta-chlorinated
congeners. To identify the source of contamination, several samples of
organic-farmed eggs, soil, laying hens, feedstuff, corrugated
asbestos-cement cover plates (ACPs), stable dust and debris collected in
the gutter of the stable, were analyzed. Comparing PCB congener-pattern
of individual samples, the source was traced back to the coating of
ACPs, which covered roof and sidewalls of the stable. Because coating
materials probably have been used for roofing and cladding in many
countries worldwide, there is a high probability that the presented case
report is not a local incident but rather describes a new source of PCB
contamination, yet widely unknown or underestimated.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Asbestos-cement plates; DR-CALUX® bioassay; Organic-farmed eggs; PCDD/F; dl-PCB
