New regulations for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs
At the beginning of February, the European Commission enacted new regulations in which they set the maximum levels for the total of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in food and feed. From November 2006 onwards, it is not only required to analyse all food and feed samples for dioxins but also for dioxin-like PCBs.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are a compound family of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons which consist of 209 individual components. Twelve compounds show characteristics similar to dioxins and furans. This is why they are known as dioxin-like PCBs. As the World Health Organisation assigned toxicity equivalent factors (TEFs) to the dioxin-like PCBs, they are also known as WHO-PCBs. PCBs are chemically and thermally stable, soluble in fat and hardly biodegradable. They accumulate in the food chain and deposit in the fat, liver and skin tissue of humans. Our flyer about PCBs gives you more information.
We also give you the action threshold for dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs in food and feed, as well as the maximum levels for dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs in food and feed.
If you want more information, you can contact Project Coordination via pc_food@analytico.com or via 0031 513-67 22 99.
