Regulation 2011/1259 - Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels for dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 320/18

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs (2) sets maximum levels for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in a range of foodstuffs.

Dioxins belong to a group of 75 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) congeners and 135 polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) congeners, of which 17 are of toxicological concern. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of 209 different congeners which can be divided into two groups according to their toxicological properties: 12 congeners exhibit toxicological properties similar to dioxins and are therefore often referred to as ‘dioxin-like PCBs’ (DL-PCB). The other PCBs do not exhibit dioxin-like toxicity but have a different toxicological profile and are referred to as ‘non dioxin-like PCB’ (NDL-PCB).

Each congener of dioxins or DL-PCBs exhibits a different level of toxicity. In order to be able to sum up the toxicity of these different congeners, the concept of toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) was introduced to facilitate risk assessment and regulatory control. As a result the analytical results relating to all the individual dioxin and dioxin-like PCB congeners of toxicological concern are expressed in terms of a quantifiable unit, namely the TCDD toxic equivalent (TEQ).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) held an expert workshop on 28 to 30 June 2005 concerning the TEF values, agreed by WHO in 1998. A number of TEF values were changed, notably for PCBs, octachlorinated congeners and pentachlorinated furans. The data on the effect of the new TEF values and the recent occurrence are compiled in the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific report ‘Results of the monitoring of dioxin levels in food and feed’ (3). Therefore, it is appropriate to review the maximum levels of PCBs taking into account these new data.

The Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain of the EFSA on a request from the Commission has adopted an opinion on the presence of NDL-PCBs in feed and food (4).

The sum of the six marker or indicator PCBs (PCB 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180) comprises about half of the amount of total NDL-PCB present in feed and food. That sum is considered as an appropriate marker for occurrence and human exposure to NDL-PCB and therefore should be set as a maximum level.

Maximum levels have been established taking into account recent occurrence data compiled in the EFSA scientific report ‘Results of the monitoring of non dioxin-like PCBs in food and feed’ (5). Although it is possible to achieve lower limits of quantification (LOQ), it can be observed that a considerable number of laboratories apply an LOQ of 1 μg/kg fat or even 2 μg/kg fat. Expressing the analytical result as an upperbound level would result in some cases in a level close to the maximum level if very strict maximum levels would be established, even if no PCBs have been quantified. It was also acknowledged that for certain food categories the data were not very extensive. Therefore, it would be appropriate to review the maximum levels in 3 years time, based upon a more extensive database obtained with a method of analysis with sufficient sensitivity for...