Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment of PCDD/Fs in Vegetable Foods at Highly Polluted Area in Turkey

Abstract

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are highly toxic and persistent organic pollutants that are ubiquitous in the environment. The main pathway of these compounds for human exposure is animal food consumption. On the other hand, plant-derived foods should be also considered for especially vegetarians in an exposure assessment. In this study, dietary intake and health risks of PCDD/Fs have been assessed for adult population living in Kocaeli, Turkey. Exposure levels have been calculated based on a combination of concentration data of locally and non-locally grown vegetable foods and a matrix of environmental exposure factors. The Monte Carlo technique has been applied to calculate dietary exposure and carcinogenic risk distributions. The results have showed that the mean PCDD/F intake via the consumption of vegetable foods are 0.652, 0.672, and 0.661 pg WHO-TEQ kg−1 body weight (bw) day−1 for urban, semi-urban, and rural receptors, respectively. These results are within the range of 1–4 pg WHO-TEQ kg−1 bw day−1 adopted by WHO as the tolerable daily intake. On the other hand, estimated carcinogenic risks related to the PCDD/Fs doses are above the acceptable carcinogenic risk level of 1 in 1,000,000, as proposed by the US EPA. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the cereal consumption has significance effect on the PCDD/F intake for all receptor groups.