LEVELS OF PCDDS AND PCDFS IN FARM COWS MILK LOCATED NEAR POTENTIAL CONTAMINANT SOURCES IN ASTURIAS (SPAIN) - COMPARISON WITH LEVELS FOUND IN CONTROL, RURAL FARMS AND COMMERCIAL PASTEURIZED COWS MILKS

Cows milk samples from 12 dairy farms in Spain and 23 samples of paste urised cows milk were analysed for PCDD/F. Farms located in rural area s without specific dioxin sources (background levels) ranged from 1.3 to 2.47 pg TEQ/g fat basis. These values were slightly lower than thos e found in milk from the vicinity of potential dioxin emission sources (waste incinerator, chemical and metallurgical industry) and similar to milk near paper industry. The waste incinerator seems to be the emi ssion source with the highest influence on the cows milk gathered in i ts vicinity. Thus, milk near the waste incinerator exhibited the highe st PCDD/F levels, the highest PCDF/PCDD ratio and its congener PCDD pa ttern showed the highest difference respect to its control point. The PCDD/F average concentrations found in pasteurised commercial milk wer e lower than those found in raw milk and were comparable to those foun d in retail milk from other countries. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.