CHLORINATED DIOXINS AND DIBENZOFURANS IN HUMAN TISSUE FROM GENERAL POPULATIONS - A SELECTIVE REVIEW

During the past decade a considerable amount of data has been generate d concerning polychlorinated dibenzodioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) levels in humans from many geographical locations. To organize these data in a useful fashion for environmental purposes and for consideration of human toxicity, selected portions of our dat a are presented in a somewhat atypical fashion, by percentage contribu tion of individual congeners to total PCDD/Fs in human tissue, and to the total dioxin equivalents (TEq). This is done to better characteriz e congener contributions from environmental contamination in various g eographical regions at this time and health-related levels. To present the findings in a global perspective, data from widely different loca tions are presented including the United States, Germany, Vietnam, the former Soviet Union, Thailand, Cambodia, China, South Africa, and Gua m.