US EPA

2181283 

Journal Article 

European Union Strategy for addressing the problem of dioxins in food 

Piskorska-Pliszczynska, J; Warenik-Bany, M 

2013 

1 

Medycyna Weterynaryjna
ISSN: 0025-8628 

69 

2 

85-90 

WOS:000314670600004 

The major route of human exposure to dioxins is food: over 90% of these compounds come within food. On 24 October 2001 the Commission of the European Communities (since 2009 the European Commission), as the first organization in the world, has undertaken a comprehensive solution to the dioxin problem, adopting the Community Strategy to reduce the presence and the harmful effects of dioxins (PCDD, PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the environment and on human health (COM [2001] 593). The strategy taken by all Community countries allowed the integration and harmonization of laws relating to environmental pollution and the food chain. Monitoring and analysis of the implemented regulations which limit emissions of these contaminants - the monitoring of dioxin levels in food, scientific analysis of the problem - made it possible to apply more severe regulatory requirements, leading to a planned reduction of dioxins in food and feed. The paper discusses the conditions which guided announcing the EU strategy, whose primary purpose was to reduce exposure of the European population to dioxins, as well as strategy implementation and achieved results. Also presented are the legislation in force since 2012 for the maximum permissible concentrations of dioxins and PCBs in food and the test methods used in the official control of undesirable contaminants. 

dioxins; PCBs; food; EU Strategy