Occurrence and dietary exposure assessment of pentachlorophenol in livestock, poultry, and aquatic foods marketed in Guangdong Province, China: Based on food monitoring data from 2015 to 2018

Abstract

As a persistent organic pollutant, pentachlorophenol (PCP) has serious impacts on human health. However, its presence in animal source food products sold in the Guangdong Province (GD) of China, and the resultant dietary exposure have not been elucidated. To address this gap, 3,100 samples from seven food categories, including beef, pork, mutton, offals, broilers, hen eggs, and farmed freshwater fish, marketed throughout four geographical regions of GD, were collected from 2015 to 2018. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was employed to detect PCP levels in these food matrices. PCP was found in all food categories, but the average contamination levels were low, ranging from 0.40 µg/kg wet weight (ww) (hen eggs) to 5.85 µg/kg ww (offals). However, higher concentrations of PCP were detected (P < 0.05) in animal source food from the North region. Additionally, a temporal declining trend was observed in this four‐year consecutive survey. The estimated human dietary exposure of PCP to population groups, including the general population and subgroups (male and female, children, and adults), was found to be far below the permissible daily intake (3 µg/kg body weight). Therefore, the health impacts of PCP should be correspondingly low for local residents, based on current toxicological knowledge. Regional exposure patterns varied due to different extents of contamination in the four areas, and pork, broilers, and freshwater fish were the major sources of dietary PCP exposure. Practical Application As a persistent organic pollutant, pentachlorophenol (PCP) has serious impacts on human health. However, its presence in animal source food products sold in Guangdong Province of China, and the resultant dietary exposure have not been elucidated. In this study, we conducted an in‐depth investigation on the occurrence of PCP in major foodstuff categories, including beef, pork, mutton, broilers, offals, hen eggs, and farmed freshwater fish, marketed in all 21 prefecture‐level divisions of Guangdong Province, in order to provide integral insights for regulatory authorities.

Exposure Patterns of Multiple Pesticides and Urinary Alterations of Trimethylamine (TMA) and Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) among Pregnant Women

“…Thus, our findings suggested that carbamate, organochlorine, organophosphate pesticides, and the fungicide OPP may primarily disturb the gut microbiome, while pyrethroid pesticides may have a greater effect on FMO (Figure ). PCP is a metabolite of organochlorine pesticides (e.g., hexachlorobenzene and lindane) and persists in various food products, especially in meat and freshwater fish, and the consequent health hazards were noteworthy as reported by the previous studies. , Additionally, experiments in goldfish showed that PCP exposure shifted the gut microbial community, which may be associated with hepatic damage …”

“…PCP is a metabolite of organochlorine pesticides (e.g., hexachlorobenzene and lindane) and persists in various food products, especially in meat and freshwater fish, and the consequent health hazards were noteworthy as reported by the previous studies. 73,74 Additionally, experiments in goldfish showed that PCP exposure shifted the gut microbial community, which may be associated with hepatic damage. 75 trans-DCCA is one of the major metabolites of pyrethroid pesticides, which are the primary constituents of indoor mosquito-repelling products.…”

The Bioaccessibility and Bioavailability of Pentachlorophenol in Five Animal-Derived Foods Measured by Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion

“…Pentachlorophenol (PCP) and its salts are synthetic polychlorinated organic chemicals [1]. Owing to its excellent insecticidal and herbicidal properties, PCP has been widely used as an insecticide, fungicide, algaecide, herbicide, water clarifier, disinfectant, and wood preservative in agricultural and industrial fields since the 1930s [2,3].…”

“…Recently, the health risk of dietary exposure to PCP was evaluated by deterministic [1] and probabilistic assessment [13], respectively. However, the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of PCP have not been considered in these two researches, and to the best of our knowledge, no report has studied the effects of the food matrix and cooking process on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of PCP in foods [31].…”

Removal and detoxification of pentahalogenated phenols using a photocatalytically induced enzymatic process

“…Pentachlorophenol is a serious concern regarding bioaccumulation due to its presence in meat and fish products [ 13 ]. Results obtained by Hong et al [ 14 ] from the Pearl River Delta, China, showed levels of 30 ng g −1 of pentachlorophenol in the sediment of the local drinking water source, and in human breast milk to give a daily intake of up to 10 μg infant −1 ·day −1 .…”