ARCHIVE - FOOD SURVEILLANCE INFORMATION SHEETS

	\| Help \| Site map \| Search \| Text links \|
	Archive - MAFF

Home

MAFF UK - DIOXINS AND POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS IN FISH OIL DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND LICENSED MEDICINES

Index to MAFF UK Food Surveillance Information Sheets, 1997

Summary

MAFF has recently completed congener-specific analyses for dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in UK dietary supplements and medicinal products based on fish oils. The results confirm earlier reports of relatively high concentrations of these contaminants in fish oils, particularly fish liver oils. Analysis of samples taken in 1994 indicated the potential for relatively high intakes of dioxins and PCBs through consumption of these products. Further samples were taken in 1996 to obtain more data and investigate whether a change in concentrations of dioxins and PCBs in fish oil products had occurred. As expected, fish liver oils contained higher concentrations of dioxins and PCBs than fish body oils. In general, and for both years, similar concentrations were found in all brands of each product type analysed and it is expected that brands not analysed would contain similar concentrations. Following a recent review by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT)⁷ the results have been expressed as Toxic Equivalents (TEQs). Where full data were obtained, the combined concentrations of dioxins and PCBs in cod liver oils ranged from 7.4 - 33 ng TEQ/kg oil in 1994 and from 18 - 41 ng TEQ/kg oil in 1996. The concentrations found in the other products collected in 1994 and 1996 were in the range 0.43 - 18 ng TEQ/kg oil. Estimated intakes of dioxins and PCBs by adults and school children from consumption of the doses recommended by the manufacturers were below the combined Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for dioxins and PCBs recently recommended by the COT. However, in combination with intakes from the diet, the TDI could be exceeded by some of these consumers⁷. Estimated intakes by toddlers from consumption of certain bottled fish oil products at manufacturers' recommended doses, either alone or in combination with the diet, could lead to the combined TDI being exceeded. Dietary intakes of dioxins and PCBs from consumption of fish oil products by breast-fed infants were below the TDI and relatively small in comparison with dietary intakes from human milk, but would increase the margin by which such infants exceed the TDI¹. The COT has concluded that intakes of dioxins and PCBs from fish oil products are unlikely to pose a risk to the health of breast-fed infants, toddlers, schoolchildren or adults. MAFF, Department of Health and Medicines Control Agency officials have met with representatives of the fish oil industry to discuss ways of reducing consumer exposure to dioxins and PCBs from these products.

Background

Dioxins and PCBs

'Dioxins' is the generic term given to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans. Dioxins are unwanted by-products in the manufacture of certain chemicals. Small amounts are also produced during most combustion and incineration processes. PCBs are a group of 209 related compounds, known as congeners. PCBs were produced in the UK and other western countries until the 1970s, mainly for use in electrical equipment, although their use is now extremely limited. Dioxins and PCBs degrade very slowly and, as a result, they are ubiquitous in the environment and generally present at very low concentrations in all foods. Further background information on dioxins and PCBs may be found in Food Surveillance Information Sheet No. 105, 'Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Dioxins in Foods and Human Milk - UK Dietary Intakes'.¹

Toxic Equivalents

A Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 10 pg/kg body weight/day for the dioxin 2,3,7,8-TCDD was recommended by an expert group convened by the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe in 1990², endorsed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) in 1992³ and reaffirmed in 1995.⁴

There is some evidence suggesting a common mechanism of action of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and some PCBs in biological systems, based on a binding of these compounds to a specific cellular receptor, the Ah-receptor. The concept of 'Toxic Equivalents' (TEQs) has been developed for dioxins to inform risk assessment⁵ and the toxicity of any mixture, relative to 2,3,7,8-TCDD, is taken to be the sum of the individual TEQs. (For further information on this concept see Reference 1.) The COT has recently recommended that Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) proposed by the WHO-ECEH/IPCS task force⁶ be tentatively accepted as a pragmatic approach to enable the safety of a mixture of dioxins and PCBs to be assessed. The COT has also agreed that the TDI endorsed for 2,3,7,8-TCDD can now be applied to mixtures of dioxins and PCBs.⁷

Previous surveys

Results of previous MAFF surveys for dioxins in a range of foods were published in Food Surveillance Paper No. 31, 'Dioxins in Food'³ and more recent information can be found in Food Surveillance Information Sheets Nos. 71, 'Dioxins in Food - UK Dietary Intakes'⁸, and 105.¹

Data on PCBs in a range of UK foods (including marine fish and fish oils) were published in Food Surveillance Paper No.13, 'Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) residues in food and human tissues'.⁹ Since these surveys, advances in analytical methodology have allowed the separation and quantification of individual congeners. Appropriate methods now exist to quantify virtually every one of the 209 possible congeners but such analysis would be prohibitively costly and therefore specific congeners are usually selected for analysis. Recent surveillance results which are based on congener-specific analysis can be found in Food Surveillance Information Sheets Nos. 89, 'Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Food - UK Dietary Intakes'¹⁰, and 105.¹

Fish oils

Fish liver and body oils, either as pure or blended formulations, are popular products in the form of either liquid oils or capsules which are available on general sale as dietary supplements and medicinal products. They are a source of vitamins A and D and of long chain fatty acids. Cod liver oil has a long history of use as a dietary supplement which, in recent years, has increased in popularity as scientific knowledge improves on the role of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and their effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and other diseases.¹¹ Cod liver oil, as a liquid or capsules, is the main product on sale but increasingly it is being sold as blends with fish body oils or other ingredients.

The continuing release of PCBs into the environment in Europe and in North America is a likely major source of PCB deposition to the waters of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.¹² Cod and similar fish of the continental shelf can accumulate lipophilic compounds, such as PCBs and dioxins, in their livers and the presence of these compounds in fish liver oils reflects the presence of these pollutants in the marine food chain and sediments at the sea bed.¹³ Dioxins and PCBs are known to be biomagnified as they progress through the food chain¹⁴ and the main route of exposure to these compounds is through the consumption of fatty foods, such as milk and milk products, meat and fish.^{1, 8,10,15} Thus, fish oils are potentially a significant source of exposure to dioxins and PCBs.

Current survey

This is the first MAFF survey of dioxins and specific PCB congeners in dietary supplements and medicinal products containing fish oils. Fifteen samples of UK retail fish oil products, including bottled oils and capsules, were purchased in 1994 although not analysed until 1996 for dioxins, non-ortho-PCBs and ortho-PCBs. All 17 dioxins containing the 2,3,7,8 substitution pattern were analysed as were PCB congeners regarded as 'dioxin-like', those with reported toxicological effects, those selected for analysis as environmental indicators in marine fish and some of those reported to occur in food.¹ Full analytical data were obtained for eight of the samples which showed a range of approximately one order of magnitude between the highest and lowest TEQ concentrations detected in these samples (see Table 2). These results indicated that consumption of some bottled fish oils could potentially lead to the TDI being exceeded by some population groups. As a result, seventeen more recent samples of fish oil-containing dietary supplements and medicinal products taken orally were obtained in 1996 to investigate whether a change in concentrations of dioxins and PCBs had occurred over time. These samples included pure cod liver oils, halibut liver oils and fish body oils, bottled and/or in capsule form, and bottled mixtures of cod liver oil enriched with fish oil (and cod liver oil with syrup). In addition, samples from 6 Lots of a particular branded product were analysed to examine variation between different Lots. Samples were purchased from shops or supplied by the manufacturer and/or by the Medicines Control Agency. The survey covered the leading brands on the market but was not a comprehensive survey of all brands available. The branded products sampled in each year are shown in Table 1.

Methodology

All samples were analysed by high resolution gas chromatography and high/low resolution mass spectrometry at the CSL Food Science Laboratory, Norwich. Encapsulated oils were prepared by puncturing the gelatine capsule and collecting the oil. All other samples were analysed as received. For some brands, samples comprised several different Lot numbers which were either analysed individually or pooled on an equal weight basis and an aliquot of the blended pool taken for analysis. Details of the analytical methodology have been published¹⁶ and can be found in previous Food Surveillance Information Sheets.^{1, 10, 17, 18}

The coefficient of variation for the analytical data is a measure of the difference that may be expected between individual analyses of the same sample. Based on other work, the coefficients of variation for the analysis of fish oils were approximately 10 per cent for dioxins and non-ortho-PCBs and up to 5 per cent for ortho-PCBs.

The results complied with published acceptance criteria for dioxins¹⁹ and with similar (unpublished) criteria for PCBs. For quality control purposes, two Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) reference samples (milk powder²⁰ and cod liver oil²¹ ) with known concentrations of dioxin or PCB congeners were also included in all 1996 samplebatches. The concentrations found in the current survey were within the confidence interval of the concentrations accepted by BCR.

Results

Concentrations

The concentrations (ng TEQ/kg oil) of dioxins and PCBs determined in each type of oil are shown in Table 2 (a-c) and those for the 6 samples of the brand analysed to determine variation between Lots are shown in Table 3. The bottom row of each table gives the total TEQs for dioxins, non-ortho- and ortho-PCBs, as means and ranges. Where specific congeners were not detected, or were present at less than the reporting limit, results for 1996 have been calculated on the basis that the concentration of the congener is equal to its limit of detection (upper bound concentrations). (Full congener-specific data is available on request.) Due to analytical difficulties posed by the nature of the samples, products containing sugar syrup were not analysed.

For the samples collected in 1994, total TEQs ranged from 7.4 - 33 (mean 22) ng TEQ/kg oil in bottled cod liver oils. Incomplete data sets were obtained for the other samples of fish oils analysed, all of which were in capsule form (see Table 2). The TEQs reported for these samples would be expected to be higher if contributions were included from those chemicals which were not analysed.

Total TEQs in bottled cod liver oil samples collected in 1996 were in the range 31 - 38 (mean 36) ng TEQ/kg oil (calculated including the mean Total TEQ value for the six samples from different Lots of a cod liver oil product (31ng TEQ/kg oil - from Table 3)). [The range of TEQs determined for the 6 samples analysed to determine variation between Lots was 20 - 43 (mean 31) ng TEQ/kg oil]. Total TEQs for encapsulated cod liver oil were in the range 18 - 41 (mean 27) ng TEQ/kg oil. Concentrations in the other bottled fish oil samples ranged from 8.1 - 18 (mean 13) ng TEQ/kg oil and those in all other encapsulated oils were in the range 0.43 - 15 ng TEQ/kg oil.

Intakes

Potential intakes of dioxins and PCBs from consumption of fish oil dietary supplements and medicinal products, on a total TEQ basis, can be estimated by combining mean Total TEQs reported in Table 2 (a-c) with the doses recommended by manufacturers on the labels. Maximum (worst-case) estimates were calculated using the highest Total TEQ value determined in 1996 (43 ng TEQ/kg oil - see Table 3) and the dose recommended by the manufacturer of that brand. Typical estimates were calculated by combining the mean Total TEQ value reported for that brand with the dose recommended by the manufacturer. The maximum, typical (and low) estimated intakes by infants, toddlers, school children and adults from fish oil dietary supplements and medicinal products are compared with intakes from the remainder of the diet for both mean and high level (97.5th percentile) consumers¹ in Table 4.

The mean dietary intakes via bottled cod liver oils sampled in 1994 were estimated to range from 2.7 - 3.8 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for adults and school children, from 6.1 - 8.2 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for toddlers and 5.8 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for breast-fed infants. Since incomplete data sets were obtained for many of the 1994 samples, all of which were encapsulated supplements, intakes estimated from such data have not been reported here.

From the 1996 data, the maximum (worst-case) estimated intakes of dioxins and PCBs from fish oil products, based on the highest TEQ found (43 ng TEQ/kg oil), were in the range 6.6 - 9.1 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for adults and school children, 12 - 16 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for toddlers and 11 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for breast-fed infants. The highest TEQ determined was for bottled cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is the major product consumed and the brand concerned was a market leader. Therefore, typical dietary intakes were also estimated using the mean Total TEQ value for this brand of bottled cod liver oil (the mean Total TEQ value determined in 1996 for the branded product analysed to determine variation between Lots (31 ng TEQ/kg oil - see Tables 3 and 4)) and were in the range 4.8 - 6.5 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for adults and school children, 8.6 - 11.6 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for toddlers and 8.2 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for breast-fed infants.

Intakes via products containing syrup were estimated for one product from knowledge of the oil content of the product and the range of TEQs determined for similar oils produced by the same manufacturer. These intakes (which have not been included in the tables) were in the range 1.3 - 1.8 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for adults and school children, 2.4 - 3.3 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for toddlers and 2.3 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for breast-fed infants.

Interpretation

Concentrations

The results for this survey are consistent with data obtained in earlier surveys for dioxins and/or PCBs in fish oils carried out elsewhere. The concentrations of dioxins in encapsulated UK retail fish oil products determined during this survey are in line with those found in similar products available in Spain (up to 2.1 ng TEQ/kg oil).²² The dioxins concentrations in UK cod liver oil products are lower than the dioxins content reported for crude cod liver oil samples from the North Atlantic (13.6 ng TEQ/kg oil, based on 'Nordic TEFs').²³ The PCB concentrations determined from this survey are more than an order of magnitude lower than those reported for cod liver oils from the Baltic Sea (220 - 675 ng TEQ/kg oil) , which is regarded as a source of highly contaminated fish oils.²⁴ Other researchers have reported total PCB concentrations of up to 1132 micrograms/l in fish oil dietary supplements²⁵ and further comparisons can be made with results from an earlier survey conducted by Greenpeace.¹¹

The manufacturer of the market leading brand of fish oil supplements has confirmed that their fish oil products conform to existing standards for PCBs in fish oils in other European countries, such as Germany. Within the limitations of the analyses, broadly similar concentrations of dioxins and PCBs were found in the different brands of the products purchased in both years and there is no reason to expect that concentrations of these compounds would be significantly higher or lower in brands not analysed in this survey.

The location in which fish is caught is known to influence the PCB concentrations in the final fish liver oil product.¹³ In addition, as the data for cod liver oils and halibut liver oils suggest, variations in the PCB concentrations can be due to the species of fish used as the source of the oil. The current data also confirm that fish body oils contain lower concentrations of PCBs and dioxins than liver oils, which is expected given the physiological role of the liver. This has also been indicated by the previous survey by Greenpeace.¹¹ PCB concentrations are also affected by the processes used to refine fish oils²³ but this survey did not study this aspect.

Intakes

The concentrations were similar in the bottled and capsule formulations of the various fish oils analysed, but the estimated mean dietary intakes from bottled oils were higher than those for encapsulated products of the same type of oil (not shown in Table 4). This is because the intake estimate depends on both the concentration of dioxins and PCBs in a product and the recommended dosages for the different age groups. Doses recommended by the manufacturers for bottled products are generally higher than those for capsules.

It can be seen from Table 4 that consumption of certain bottled fish oil dietary supplements or medicinal products, either alone or in combination with the diet (for mean and/or 97.5th percentile consumers) could lead to the TDI of 10 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for dioxins and PCBs being exceeded by all consumer groups. The COT has considered the maximum intakes and has concluded that they potentially lead to the TDI previously endorsed by the Committee being exceeded for a sustained period by toddlers and school children but not adults. These maximum intake estimates are worst-case estimates for two reasons. Firstly, they were calculated using the highest TEQ concentration determined in the 1996 samples which was from one of the 6 samples of the brand analysed to examine variation between Lots and more than double the lowest value determined for those samples. It is therefore unlikely that consumers would be exposed to such high concentrations for extended periods. Secondly, high level (97.5th percentile) consumers of the rest of the diet are not likely to sustain such intakes for extended periods of time and are not necessarily also high level consumers of fish oil dietary supplements or medicinal products. More typical estimates were obtained by using the mean TEQ value.

Estimated typical intakes of dioxins and PCBs from some bottled cod liver oil products at the dose recommended on the labels would, in combination with the average diet, lead to toddlers of all ages exceeding the TDI of 10 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day for dioxins and PCBs. The TDI would not be exceeded by school children or adults. Market research data show that only about 1 per cent of consumers of bottled cod liver oil dietary supplements and medicinal products are aged less than 19 years.

The estimated mean dietary intakes of dioxins and PCBs from some other bottled fish oil products (not show in Table 4) taken at the recommended doses and in combination with consumption of the average diet, could lead to some toddlers exceeding the TDI for dioxins and PCBs.

Consumption of the encapsulated fish oil dietary supplements and medicinal products included in the survey at their recommended doses, either alone or in combination with the diet, would not lead to school children or adults exceeding the TDI for dioxins and PCBs; it is assumed these products would not be administered to toddlers and infants (not shown in Table 4).

Any consumption of fish oil products by breast-fed infants would increase the margin by which these consumers exceed the TDI for dioxins and PCBs. Intakes of dioxins and PCBs from such products are lower than intakes of these compounds from human milk and will make only a relatively minor contribution to total dietary intakes of dioxins and PCBs by breast-fed infants.¹

The COT recommendation that the previously endorsed TDI of 10 pg/kg body weight/day can also be applied to mixtures of dioxins and PCBs⁷, and the availability of congener-specific data, has allowed an assessment to be made of the toxicological significance of concentrations of dioxins and PCBs in fish oil dietary supplements and medicinal products sold in the UK. The COT has concluded that intake of the levels of dioxins and PCBs in fish oil dietary supplements and medicinal products are unlikely to pose a risk to the health of breast-fed infants, toddlers, schoolchildren or adults. However, consumption of some products could potentially lead to the TDI for dioxins and PCBs being exceeded by toddlers and schoolchildren, which is undesirable.

Officials from MAFF, the Department of Health and the Medicines Control Agency have met with representatives of the fish oil industry to discuss ways in which the concentrations of dioxins and PCBs in dietary supplements and medicinal products containing fish oils, and/or intakes of these compounds from such products, can be reduced.

References

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1997) Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Dioxins in Foods and Human Milk - UK Dietary Intakes. Food Surveillance Information Sheet No.105, MAFF, London.
World Health Organisation, Regional Office for Europe (1991) Summary report. Consultation on Tolerable Daily Intake from food of PCDDs and PCDFs. Bilthoven, Netherlands, 4-7 December 1990. EUR/ICP/PCS 030(S) 0369n, publ. WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1992) Dioxins in Food. Food Surveillance Paper No.31, publ. HMSO.
Statement by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment on the US EPA draft health assessment document for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and related compounds (1995).
NATO/Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society (1988) International Toxicity Equivalency Factor (I-TEF) method of risk assessment for complex mixtures of dioxins and related compounds. Pilot study on international information exchange on dioxins and related compounds. CCMS Report Number 176, publ. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C., USA.
Ahlborg, U.G., Becking, G.C., Birnbaum, L.S., Brouwer, A., Derks, H.J.G.M., Feeley, M., Golor, G., Hanberg, A., Larsen, J.C., Liem, A.K.D., Safe, S.H., Schlatter, C., Wærn, F., Younes, M. and Yrjänheikki, E. (1994) Toxic equivalency factors for dioxin-like PCBs: report on a WHO-ECEH and IPCS consultation, December 1993. Chemosphere 28, 1049-1067.
Statement by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment on the Health Hazards of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (1997).
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1995) Dioxins in Food - UK Dietary Intakes. Food Surveillance Information Sheet No.71, MAFF, London.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1983) Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) residues in food and human tissues. Food Surveillance Paper No.13, publ. HMSO, London.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1996) Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Food - UK Dietary Intakes. Food Surveillance Information Sheet No.89, MAFF, London.
Jacobs, M.N. and Johnston, P.A. (1995) Organochlorine pesticide and PCB residues in pharmaceutical and industrial grade fish oils. Greenpeace Research Laboratories Technical Note 05/96.
Falandysz, J. (1994a) Polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in cod-liver oil: evidence of a steady-state condition of these compounds in the Baltic area oils and levels noted in Atlantic oils. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 27, 266-271.
Falandysz, J., Kannan, K., Tanabe, S. and Tatsukawa, R. (1994b) Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in cod-liver oils: North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea, North Sea and Baltic Sea. Ambio 23, 288-293.
Stephens, R.D., Harnly, M., Hayward, D.G., Chang, R.R., Flattery, J., Petreas, M.X. and Goldman, L. (1990) Bioaccumulation of dioxins in food animals II: controlled exposure studies, Chemosphere20, 1091-1096.
Duarte-Davidson, R. and Jones, K.C. (1994) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the UK population: estimated intake, exposure and body burden. The Science of the Total Environment 151, 131-152.
Krokos, F., Creaser, C.S., Wright, C. and Startin, J.R. (1997) Congener-specific method for the determination of ortho- and non-ortho-polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in foods by carbon-column fractionation and gas chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry 357, 732-742.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1996) Dioxins in Human Milk. Food Surveillance Information Sheet No. 88, MAFF, London.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1997) Dioxins in Cows' Milk from Farms Close to Industrial Sites. Food Surveillance Information Sheet No. 100, MAFF, London.
Ambidge, P.F., Cox, E.A., Creaser, C.S., Greenberg, M., Gem, M.G. de M., Gilbert, J., Jones, P.W., Kibblewhite, M.G., Levey, J., Lisseter, S.G., Meredith, T.J., Smith, L., Smith, P., Startin, J.R., Stenhouse, I. and Whitworth, M. (1990) Acceptance criteria for analytical data on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans. Chemosphere 21, 999-1006.
Maier, E.A., van Cleuvenbergen, R., Kramer, G.N., Tuinstra, L. G. M. Th. and Pauwels, J. (1995) BCR (non-certified) reference materials for dioxins and furans in milk powder, Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 352, 179-183.
Griepink, B., Wells, D.E. and Ferreira, M.F. (1988) The certification of the contents (mass fraction) of chlorobiphenyls (IUPAC Nos. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180) in two fish oils: cod-liver oil CRM No. 349: mackerel oil CRM No. 350, Report EUR11520EN, Commission of the European Communities, Community Bureau of Reference.
Jiménez, B., Wright, C., Kelly, M. and Startin, J.R. (1996) Levels of PCDDs, PCDFs and non-ortho-PCBs in dietary supplement fish oil obtained in Spain. Chemosphere 32, 461-467.
Brevik, E.M., Biseth, A. and Oehme, M. (1990) Levels of polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzo-p-dioxins in crude and processed fish oils in relation to origin and cleaning method. Organohalogen Compounds 1, 467-470.
Falandysz, J., Tanabe, S. and Tatsukawa, R. (1994c) Most toxic and highly bioaccumulative PCB congeners in cod-liver oil of Baltic origin processed in Poland during the 1970s and 1980s, their TEQ-values and possible intake. The Science of the Total Environment 145, 207-212.
Stringer, R.L., Jacobs, M.N., Johnston, P.A., Wyatt, C.L. and Santillo, D. (1996) Organochlorine Residues in Fish Oil Dietary Supplements, Organohalogen Compounds 28, 551-556.

Contact Point

For further information, please contact:

Dr Nigel Harrison
MAFF, Food Safety and Science Group
Food Contaminants Division
Room 234 Ergon House, c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

Tel: +44 (0) 171 238 6235
Fax: +44 (0) 171 238 5331

Return to Index to Surveillance Information Sheets, 1997 page
Go to top of page

These pages were last updated on 13th May 1997