Endocrine-disrupting organochlorine xenobiotics in fish products imported from Asia—an assessment of human health risk

Abstract

The sources of endocrine-disrupting persistent organochlorine compounds (OC) are environmental pollutants. Contaminated food is a direct result of environmental pollution, and fish are considered as the main source of OC in the human diet. This study aimed to analyze the contamination of imported fish fillets with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in the context of potential health risks of consumers in Poland in the light of the new tolerable weekly intake (TWI) values. The tested compounds in fish products were determined by liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GS-MS) method. Despite the detection of almost all pesticides analyzed in the fish fillets tested, the risk factor (hazard quotient) was significantly lower than 1.0, ranging from 0.003 to 0.013. Considering the previous recommended TWI value (14 pg-TEQ/kg bw/week), the estimated weekly intake was lower at 43–53% of TWI. However, according to the new TWI values set by the EFSA in 2018, the estimated weekly intake was about three times higher than the TWI. This raises concerns regarding threats to consumer health. Graphical abstract

Review of scientific literature on available methods of assessing organochlorine pesticides in the environment

“…Then, the temperature was elevated to 165 °C at a rate of 30 °C/min, then increased to 195 °C at a rate of 15 °C/min (held for 1 min), increased from 195 to 210 °C at a rate of 2 °C/min, then elevated to 220 °C at a rate of 5 °C/min and then programmed to 300 °C at 10 °C/min, held for 1.5 min” [ 342 ] Swordfish 7 Muscle: 4 × 10 −5 -0.02; liver: 2 × 10 −5 -0.014; gonad: 1 × 10 −5 - 0.016 49–8 6–28 GC-HRMS, UPLC-MS/MS [ 343 ] Lipids of fish 21 0.1–0.5 65–114 3–19 GC-MS/MS: “50 °C (2.9 min); 30 °C.min−1 to 240 °C; 2 °C.min−1 to 270 °C; and 40 °C.min−1 to 340 °C (12 min)” [ 74 ] Lipids from fish 9 Ave: 0.01 0.01–0.06 Spiked standards:69.8–98.9; Internal standard: 84.1–98.3. GC-MS: “oven temperature: start from 90 °C (0.5 min), increase 7 °C/min; 220 °C (12 min), increase 6 °C/min; 285 °C (7 min), increase 5 °C/min; and 295 °C (6 min) (post run)” [ 344 ] fish, crab, shrimp, shellfish, and turtle, sediment 5 0.3–1.5 75–11 6.6–17 GC-MS: “Column initial temperature 50 °C, hold for 3 min; 35 °C·min −1 rise to 220 °C, hold for 1 min; 15 °C· min −1 rise to 300 °C, maintain for 2 min” [ 345 ] Fish and crustacean 17 0.9–166 47–114 GC-HRMS [ 26 ] Water, sediment, Muscle of fish, crustacean, oft tissue of shellfish 8 Water: 0.250–2.240; 0.003–0.018; organism: 0.003–0.040 69–103 ...…”