Geographic variation of human dietary intake of PCBs from Norwegian coastal fish species and potential health risks of consumption

Abstract

Today, the majority of human exposure to PCBs and dioxins originates from food consumption. In Norway, most dietary intake of the same compounds comes from fish consumption. This study aimed to investigate if current human dietary intake of PCBs and dioxins demonstrated geographic variation across Norwegian coastal regions. Also, to evaluate if resulting consumption patterns of some Norwegians could be considered unsafe according to current PCB and dioxin TWI thresholds. Coordinates and concentrations of PCBs in cod and salmon samples were used in creating maps of the distribution of concentrations based on their source of origin in the sea around Norway. The maps demonstrated considerable geographic variation across Norwegian northern and southern coastal regions and oceans. An assessment of possible health risk associated with dietary intake of fish was performed for scenario people profiles who represented samples of Norwegians who consume fish. The scenario profiles ‘northern Norwegian men’, ‘northern Norwegian woman’, ‘average Norwegian man’ and average Norwegian woman’ exceeded the new TWI rates, whereas those profiles with lower fish consumption (‘lean fish Norwegian woman’, ‘pregnant woman’, and ‘children’) stayed below the new TWI. Consumption patterns revealed the estimated dietary intake rates were influenced most by consumption of fatty fish and liver intake, but also by the overall weekly fish consumption, gender, and region. The results of this study suggest that Norwegians are potentially exceeding a safe weekly intake of PCBs and dioxins due to dietary fish consumption.