HPLC MONITORING OF PCDD/Fs LEVELS IN FISH SPECIES COLLECTED FROM THE EGYPTIAN MARKET

Chemical pollutants released from various industries into water systems make fish a sources of various environmental toxicants to humans and classified fish consumption as one of the primary pathways of exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs). The current study was conducted on 31 randomly collected individual fish samples marketed in different governorates in Egypt, during 2011–2012 to evaluate tissue levels of the 17 laterally substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and 12 dioxin like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs). The mean total TEQ value found in fish was 0.625 and concentrations ranged from 0.063 to 3.981 pg WHO-TEQ/g product, such levels were lower than the EU regulations limits of 2006 (8pg WHO-TEQ/g product). The highest concentrations when the results were expressed in toxic equivalents corresponded to 2,3.4,7,8-PeCDF, PeCDD and TCDD; and PCB-126  being the most frequentof dl-PCBs. The average PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs intakes based on adaily fish consumption of 14.5 g was estimated at 0.15pg WHO-TEQ kg^-1b.w. d^-1 for adults, which was lower than range of TDI recommended by the WHO (1–4 pg WHO-TEQ kg^-1b.w. d^-1), and much lower than the TWI and PTMI adopted by SCF and JECFA, respectively.