Europe Sets Maximum Levels for Dioxins and PCBs in Food

From: Environment News Service <www.ens-newswire.com>

Europe Sets Maximum Levels for Dioxins and PCBs in Food

BRUSSELS, Belgium, February 6, 2006 (ENS) - The European Commission Friday
adopted new implementing legislation setting maximum levels for the sum of
dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in food and feed.
>From November 2006, any food or feed in which the sum of dioxins and
dioxin-like PCBs exceeds these maximum levels will not be allowed to be
marketed in the European Union.

Dioxins and PCBs are toxic chemicals that can cause serious health effects
such as cancer, hormone disruption, reduced ability to reproduce, skin
toxicity and immune system disorders.

Maximum levels for dioxins in food of animal origin and all animal feed have
been in place across the European Union since July 2002. But due to lack of
sufficient data and scientific information at the time, no levels were set
for dioxin-like PCBs.

Since 2002, new data on dioxin-like PCBs has become available, and the new
legislation lays down mandatory limits for the combined level of dioxins and
dioxin-like PCBs based on World Health Organization toxic equivalency
factors for these substances.

The new legislation is designed to prevent dioxins and PCBs from entering
the food supply as happened in Belgium and the Netherlands late last month,
when dioxin was found in pig and poultry feed used by hundreds of farms.
The discovery of the dioxin contamination was first reported by the
Netherlands, which on January 25 issued an alert on pig fat originating from
Belgium.

Because they are fat soluble, dioxins and PCBs are concentrated in the fat
of animals such as pigs.

The dioxin was discovered in fat produced by Profat, according to statements
from the two countries' food safety agencies.

The Belgian food safety agency said that between October 6 and 28, two
filters at Tessenderlo Chemicals were defective, resulting in untreated
hydrochloric acid being delivered to its subsidiary, PB Gelatins. PB
Gelatins then supplied animal feed producers with ingredients contaminated
with dioxins.

This is the second dioxin scare to hit Belgium. In 1999, about 200 farms in
Belgium were ordered to destroy livestock that were given animal feeds
believed to be contaminated with dioxin. The scare led to the slaughter of
millions of chickens and thousands of pigs in Belgium. The Belgian food
safety agency said present levels of contamination are far below the levels
found in 1999.

European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou
said, ³In setting these maximum levels, the Commission is taking another
step forward in protecting the EU consumer from the harmful long-term
effects of dioxin and dioxin-like PCB consumption. We will continue to
pursue our comprehensive strategy against these noxious substances,
continually reviewing the ways in which we can reduce human exposure to
them."

Dioxins are polychlorinated aromatic compounds with similar structures,
chemical and physical properties. They are formed as a by-product of
chemical processes that range from natural events such as volcanic eruptions
and forest fires to human activities such as the manufacturing of chemicals,
pesticides, steel and paints, pulp and paper bleaching, exhaust emissions
and incineration.

When chlorinated waste is burned in an uncontrolled way in an incinerator,
for instance, the emissions to the air contain dioxins. Of the 210 different
dioxin compounds, 17 are of toxicological concern.

PCBs are chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons which are synthesized by direct
chlorinating of biphenyls. The production and use of PCBs has been
discontinued in almost all industrial countries. But PCB mixtures are still
widespread and present today in transformers, building materials,
lubricants, coatings, plasticizers and inks. Some PCB compounds have
toxicological properties that are similar to dioxins and are called
dioxin-like PCBs.

The reduction of persistent chemicals such as dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs
in the food chain is an important part of ensuring the health and safety of
EU consumers. Dioxins and PCBs have toxic properties which can provoke a
series of health problems, including cancer, immune and nervous system
disorders, liver damage and sterility.

The maximum levels adopted today contribute to the Commission's strategy,
launched in 2001, to reduce the level of dioxins and PCBs in the
environment, food and feed.

Food and feed operators have primary responsibility for ensuring that the
maximum levels are complied with, while member state authorities must carry
out checks and report to the Commission on their findings.

All operators in the food and feed chain must do everything necessary to
limit the presence of dioxins and PCBs in the feed and food chain. This
could include reviewing processing, drying and other chemical based
techniques, or using decontamination techniques to remove dioxins and
dioxin-like PCBs where possible.

"It is now up to national authorities to ensure that monitoring is properly
carried out," Kyprianou said, "so that citizens in all member states can
rely on the same level of protection against these contaminants."

These chemicals are not soluble in water but are highly soluble in fat so
they bind to sediment and organic matter in the environment and are absorbed
in animal and human fatty tissue.

They are not biodegradable so they are persistent and bio-accumulate in the
food chain. Once released into the environment, they pile up in the fat
tissue of animals and humans, causing damage over time.

Dioxins concentrated in animal fats can show up in human food.

Food of animal origin contributes to 90 percent of daily intake of dioxins.
Dioxin concentrates in the fatty tissues of beef and dairy cattle, poultry,
pork or seafood, the Commission says. The dioxin level in food originating
in farmed animals is the result of dioxin in feed. Feed contamination occurs
either through inappropriate drying practices, or illegal use of PCB-oils in
feed, or through environmental contamination.

The contamination of the environment by dioxins is caused by the aerial
transportation and deposition of emissions from sources such as waste
incineration, production of chemicals, and traffic. The use and disposal of
chemicals can contribute to more severe localized contamination.

Soil is a natural sink for dioxins. Apart from atmospheric deposition, soils
may be polluted by sewage sludge or composts, spills and erosion from nearby
contaminated areas.

Soil is absorbed, directly or indirectly through dust deposits on
vegetables, by free-range grazing cattle, goats, sheep and chicken as well
as burrowing and grazing pig and wild boar.

The Commission is expected to adopt a Recommendation today which sets
"action levels" and foresees "target levels" for dioxins and PCBs in feed
and food.

The action levels are intended as a tool for the early warning of higher
than desirable levels of dioxins in food and feed. They are set at a lower
level than the maximum levels, and if the action level is exceeded, an
investigation should be carried out as to the cause of the presence of
dioxins.

Once identified, measures should then be taken to reduce or eliminate this
cause. This should result in a further decrease of the presence of dioxins
and PCBs in feed and food.

Target levels, which will be set in the future, are the levels to be
ultimately achieved in order to bring human exposure below the recommended
tolerable intake. Target levels will act as the driving force for further
measures.

The Commission intends to further review the maximum levels by December 31,
2008, with a view to reducing them further.