Assessment of the daily intake of 62 polychlorinated biphenyls from dietary exposure in South Korea.

The dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was estimated using the sum of 62 PCB congeners (∑(62)PCBs), including seven indicator PCBs and 12 dioxin-like PCBs, in the South Korea. In this study, 200 individual food samples belonging to 40 different foodstuffs were investigated to estimate the distribution of PCB congeners in five sampling cities. PCB exposure was estimated using Korean dietary habits as established by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The PCB concentrations in rice, the most frequently consumed food in Korea, was relatively low in whole food samples. The mean PCB levels measured in fish were the highest in this study, but each fish is consumed in relatively small amounts by the general population. Therefore, the daily dietary intake should also be considered with regard to human exposure to PCBs, especially with the consumption of contaminated foods. Dioxin-like PCB levels were also calculated using TEF values that were established in 2005. The average levels (pg TEQ/g) were 0.0002 for rice and 0.0098 for fish. The dioxin-like PCBs accounted for a relatively small percentage of the total PCBs, compared to previous studies. According to our research, the health risks associated with exposure to PCBs could be estimated using the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of the general population.

Assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in serum from the Korean general population.

In 2009 and 2010, 720 serum samples were collected from non-occupationally exposed study participants at four Korean locations and monitored for the presence of 27 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. The median concentrations of Σ(27)PBDEs (the sum of 27 congeners) and Σ(3-7)PBDEs (the sum of tri- to hepta-BDE congeners) were 6.04 and 4.97 ng/g lipid, respectively. The most abundant congener detected in serum samples was BDE-153, followed by BDE-47 and BDE-99. The median value of Σ(3-7)PBDEs was similar to the median values observed in Asia and Europe, but much lower than that observed in North America. Some significant differences, based on geographic region and sex, were observed. We also observed a positive increase of BDE-153 with regard to age. In addition, we estimated the daily exposure to PBDEs from previously published reports of PBDE concentrations in food and dust, and determined the individual contributions of a variety of sources.