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Global trends of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs in animal-origin foods: a systematic review and gap areas

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Abstract

Dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls are a group of lipophilic compounds classified under persistent environmental pollutants (POPs). Significant sources of dioxin emissions include industrial effluents, open burning practices, and biomedical and municipal waste incinerators. These emissions will enter the food chain and accumulate in animal-origin foods (AOFs). A systematic review was conducted to analyze the global levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in AOFs using PRISMA guidelines 2020. The data on the dioxin contamination in AOFs were extracted from 53 publications based on their presence in eggs, meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, marine fish and fish products, and freshwater fish and crabs. A gap analysis was conducted based on the systematic review to understand the grey areas to be focused on the  future. No trend of dioxin contamination in AOFs was observed. A significant gap area was found in the need for nationwide data generation in countries without periodic monitoring of AOFs for dioxin contamination. Source apportionment studies need to be explored for the dioxin contamination of AOFs. Large-scale screening tests of AOFs using DR-CALUX based on market surveys are required for data generation. The outcomes of the study will be helpful for stakeholders and policyholders in framing new policies and guidelines for food safety in AOFs.

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All the secondary data used in the study is available in the manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Director, CSIR-NIIST for providing the infrastructure facilities for the project. Institutional Publication No. NIIST/2022/May/320.

Funding

The work was funded by CSIR through the Mission mode program-Advancing Technical Leads in Assuring Safety of Food (ATLAS), Grant code: HCP0031 and GEF-UNEP_NIP update project Grant code: GEF ID: 10978, GAP318439.

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  1. Environmental Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, CSIR, Govt of India, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695019, India

    Chirackal Muraleedharan Rahul, Krishnan Gayathri & Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran

  2. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201002, India

    Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran

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Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran developed the concept and design of the work and drafting and revising the manuscript. Data collection, analysis, drafting and editing of the manuscript were performed by Chirackal Muraleedharan Rahul and Krishnan Gayathri.

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Correspondence to Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran.

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Rahul, C.M., Gayathri, K. & Kesavachandran, C.N. Global trends of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs in animal-origin foods: a systematic review and gap areas. Environ Monit Assess 196, 529 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12690-3

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