PCB Contamination in Farmed and Wild Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) and Exposure Evaluation Associated with Fish Consumption

Although polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been banned in almost all industrialised countries for more than 20 years, they are still present in all environmental media and animal tissues causing concern for human health and environmental safety. In particular exposure of human population, also to background contamination, during the prenatal period, seems to be involved in endocrine disruption and in reproductive and neurobehavioral adverse effects. Food is by far the major route of exposure to these compounds and fish and fishery products represent the most contaminated food items. In order to decrease human and animal exposure to these compounds, recently the European Union regulations on food safety established the maximum allowed levels for dioxins in foodstuffs and animal feeds. In particular until now such limits refer to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) but they will be soon extended to the dioxin-like and non dioxin-like PCBs. In the present investigation PCB concentrations have been measured in the edible part of farmed and wild sea bass from the Orbetello Lagoon, in the corresponding feed and in sediment samples of farming ponds and open lagoon. Sea bass is a predator fish widespread in all the Mediterranean Sea, eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Black Sea; moreover it is one of the most popular and valuable fish sold in Italy. The purpose of this study was to compare PCB contamination in farmed and wild sea bass and to estimate the average intake of PCBs via consumption of fish in Italy.

FATTORE Elena;  CARUBELLI Grazia;  NICHETTI Simona;  MARIANI Giulio;  CROSA Giuseppe;  CALAMARI Davide;  FANELLI Roberto; 

2006-02-14

JRC32572

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC32572,