WHO- and UNEP-Coordinated Exposure Studies 2000-2019: Findings of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins, and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans

Abstract

The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) were determined in 232 pooled human milk samples from 82 countries from all United Nations regions participating in five exposure studies coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) between 2000 and 2019. The highest concentrations of PCB were found in European countries. Countries of all other regions had considerably lower concentrations. The highest median concentrations of toxic equivalents (TEQ) of PCDD/PCDF and dioxin-like PCB (expressed as WHO2005-TEQ) were found in Eastern and Western European countries, the widest variation in Africa. The median concentrations and maximum levels in the Pacific region and countries from Latin America and the Caribbean were at the lower end of the distribution. However, also time trends have to be considered for this overall picture for a period of 20 years.