EU monitoring of dioxins and PCBs

Wednesday 9 June 2004

The Food Standards Agency has published the results of tests on a range of foods on sale in the UK for dioxins and PCBs. The work was carried out as part of an EU monitoring programme.

The results show that levels of dioxins and PCBs in the vast majority of samples of food were within the limits set by the European Union.

Dioxins and PCBs are long lasting environmental pollutants. Dioxins are formed as unwanted by-products of combustion processes, such as waste incineration, bonfires and cigarette smoke, while PCBs were manufactured between the 1930s and the 1970s and are still present in some old electrical equipment. There are concerns about the impact of dioxins and PCBs on people's health, but not in the short term, even when they are present at the highest levels found in foods.

A hundred samples of food produced and purchased in the UK were tested between October and December 2003.

Out of the 100 tested, one pheasant and one liver sample were above limits set by the European Union. A further two samples, one of venison and one of liver, were below these limits but above the 'action level', which means that they were safe to eat but the reasons for the slightly increased levels should be investigated further.

There was no immediate health concern from these results as potential risks come from people eating foods containing high levels of dioxins over a long period. However, local authorities responsible for the shops where these foods were bought were notified of the results so that they could investigate further.

The results have been reported to the European Commission, which is collecting results for countries across the EU.