Dioxins and PGBs in food

摘要

1. Dioxins are very persistent unwanted byproducts of the manufacture of certain industrial chemicals or are produced during various combustion and incineration processes. From the 1930s until the 1970s, PCBs were produced in many industrial countries, including the United Kingdom. The main purpose of this production was for use in electrical equipment. 2. Dioxins and PCBs are environmental contaminants which find their way in very low concentrations into many food sources. They are particularly found in fatty foods, including milks. 3. Although the industrial sources of dioxins and PCBs are now strictly controlled, both groups of chemicals are very persistent and will remain in the environment for many more years. Regular surveillance in the United Kingdom shows that the levels in the diet fell substantially between 1982 and 1992, and are expected to continue to fall as further measures to reduce emissions into the environment take effect. 4. Despite the presence of dioxins in human milk, breast-feeding should be encouraged and promoted on the basis of convincing evidence of its benefits to the overall health and development of the infant.