Polychlorinated biphenyl residues in foods from a contaminated region of Yugoslavia.

PCB levels in food and the dietary intake of PCBs from food grown in a contaminated region in Bela Krajina (Slovenia, Yugoslavia) are reported. A large variation in the contribution of PCB congeners to total PCB levels in food of animal and leafy vegetable origin was found. Although guidelines for PCB tolerances exist only for food of animal origin, it was estimated that leafy vegetables and unpeeled fruits from the contaminated region present a significant source of human exposure to PCBs. PCB residues in fish and eggs exceeded the tolerances set by the FDA. Utilizing the official statistical data on food consumption, the dietary intake of PCBs from food of animal origin decreased from 1985 to 1988 from 14.5 to 1.6 mg/year per person, respectively, after the use of PCBs ceased in the nearby plant. The dietary intake in 1988 of PCBs from foodstuffs of vegetable origin and fruits was 4.6 mg/year per person. The quantitation of PCBs was made from the sum of 36 individual PCB congeners, obtained by high resolution gas chromatography with an electron capture detector.