"Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins, Dibenzofurans, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Human Tissues, Meat, Fish, and Wildlife Samples from India" 

Kurunthachalam Senthil Kumar¹, Kurunthachalam Kannan², Odathurai N. Paramasivan³, Vellakovil P. Shanmuga Sundaram⁴, Shigeki Masunaga¹, Junko Nakanishi

¹Yokohama National University
²Michigan State University, USA
³Kovai Medical Center and Hospitals, India
⁴K. G. Hospital and Post Graduate Medical Institute, India
⁵National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Environmental Sciences and Technology, Vol.35 No.14 pp.3448-3455 (2001)

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Abstract

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and non- and mono-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (dioxin-like PCBs) were measured in tissues of humans, fishes, chicken, lamb, goat, predatory birds, and Ganges River dolphins collected from various locations in India. PCDDs/DFs were found in most of the samples analyzed with the liver of spotted owlet containing the highest concentration of 3300 pg/g, fat wt. 

2,3,7,8-Substituted PCDDs and PCDFs were found in human fat tissues at concentrations ranging from 170 to 1300 pg/g, fat wt. Concentrations of PCDDs were generally greater than those of PCDFs in human tissues, fishes, animal fat, and dolphin. Among fishes, meat, and wildlife samples analyzed, concentrations of PCDDs/DFs were found in the following order: country chicken < goat/lamb fat < fishes < river dolphins < predatory birds. 

Hepta-CDDs and OCDD were the major PCDD homologues found in humans, fishes, meat products, and dolphins. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents of PCDDs/DFs were greater than those of PCBs in selected fish, dolphin, and human samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PCDDs and PCDFs in human tissues, fishes, meat, and wildlife collected from India.

Keywords

PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, India