Objective To measure dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in agricultural products and dietary intake of residents in an electronic waste (E-waste) dismantling area.
Methods Samples of free range poultries, rice, and cabbage were selected from the area and 12 DL-PCBs were measured by high resolution gas chromatograph-high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC-HRMS). Toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations were calculated using World Health Organization's toxic equivalent factors (WHO-TEF, 1998). The dietary intakes of DL-PCBs of the residents by consuming poultries, rice, and cabbage were estimated.
Results The DL-PCBs levels in the samples were 1.85-557.97 pg TEQ/g wet weight (poultries), 0.77-1.12 pg TEQ/g wet weight (cabbage), and 0.11-0.50 pg TEQ/g wet weight (rice). PCB118 was the dominant congener and over 90% of the total DL-PCBs were mono-ortho PCBs. PCB126 contributed the highest TEQ proportion among all the DL-PCBs congeners detected. The estimated dietary intake level of DLPCBs from free range poultries, rice, and cabbage was 7.24 pg TEQ/kg body weight per day, 1.8 times as the tolerable dietary intake level established by the World Health Organization.
Conclusion The residents eating free range poultries, rice, and cabbage provided by local farms in an E-waste dismantling area are at healthy risk of having an elevated DL-PCBs intake level.
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