Oceanologia (Sep 2007)
Polychlorinated dibenzo-<i>p</i>-dioxin, dibenzofuran and biophenyl content in selected groups of Baltic herring and sprat from Estonian coastal waters in 2006.
Abstract
The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCB) were determined in samples of Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus) in 2006 from commercial catches in Estonian coastal waters, Baltic Sea. The dioxin content of the fish sampled in 2006 did not exceed the European Union's maximum permissible level for PCDD/Fs (4.0 pg WHO-TEQ/g fresh weight) and for the sum of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs (8.0 pg WHO-TEQ/g fresh weight). PCDD/Fs and the sum of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs content in herring were 2.12 and 3.84 pg WHO-TEQ/g of fresh weight respectively; the corresponding figures for sprat were 1.94 and 3.82 pg WHO-TEQ/g of fresh weight. Comparable with our earlier data on the content of dioxins in three to four year old herring and two to three year old sprat, these data show that two servings of fish per week are not at all harmful tothe health of the Estonian people; indeed, the opposite is more likely to be the case.
