Abstract
Introduction: In Austria, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was used for agricultural purposes until 1992. In 2011, a cement factory located in a small valley was mandated to burn contaminated slaked lime from a hazardous waste site. When HCB levels exceeded legal standards for foodstuffs from that valley in 2014, concerned citizens sent blood samples and breast milk to Germany. Some were informed their HCB values exceeded German reference values. We were mandated to assess the risk, to establish Austrian reference values and to study routes of exposure. Methods: To establish Austrian reference values, stored blood samples from the Austrian Nutrition and Health Survey 2012 were analyzed. Possible routes of exposure were examined by analyzing samples (soil, air, food, Nordic spruce needles). Based on an individual assessment (e.g. food intake) local residents were invited to provide blood samples. Results: Austrian reference levels were similar to German values from approximately ten years ago. Out of 120 blood samples taken from residents in the exposed valley, 21 exceeded new established Austrian reference values. Highest concentrations were detected among those who mainly consumed food produced in the valley. Residents living closest to the factory had the highest blood HCB-concentrations. Air samples (up to 5.1 ng/m³) and spruce needles (30-50 ng/g dry weight) indicated high exposure in vicinity of the kiln over the last 10-13 months. Based on these findings, a direct route from air to the soil (up to 0.8 ng/g) and through the cattle feed and food for human consumption (esp. milk, meat) could well explain the variability in blood concentrations of HCB. Discussion: Despite the detection of high blood concentrations of HCB in 21 of 120 sampled, daily uptake over the course of one-year was determined to be well below the acceptable daily intake defined by WHO for lifelong exposure. Nevertheless, risk communication to concerned citizens remains a significant challenge.
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