Dioxins, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and PBDEs

Fera food safety experts are able to establish the levels of a range of Dioxins and PCBs within your food sample as part of a complete overview of the safety of your foodstuffs. Our accredited methods of analysis are important to confirm that levels of these potentially harmful chemicals within your foodstuffs are below legislative limits thus avoiding potentially damaging product recalls, refusals, and loss of customer trust. With this analysis, our food safety experts can measure the levels of both dioxin like and non-dioxin like PCBs in your food samples.

Dioxins and PCBs are global contaminants found in many foodstuffs. Produced as a result of man-made processes, their inclusion within foodstuffs is not usually by design but ongoing trace contamination of a foodstuff can result in significant consumer exposure. Dioxins are formed through a range of industrial activities such as combustion or incineration or inadvertent addition of by-products found in herbicides or pesticides. Long term exposure can cause health effects on for example, the liver, endocrine system, and immune system. Consequently, there are strict requirements to ensure exposure is limited through the use of regulatory limits across a range of foodstuffs.

A large amount of the total Dioxin and PCB exposure to consumers is through consumption of fish, meat, and dairy products. These foods are contaminated through environmental pathways such as contaminated vegetation, soil, and air-borne dioxins, which can be extremely difficult to control during production processes. As a result, it is important to ensure extensive testing is used to confirm that levels of Dioxin and PCB contamination within your products are within defined safe limits.

Through the use of Fera’s accredited analytical methods, this can be readily achieved. Our experienced food safety team make use of extensive experience and the latest analytical methods to provide the accuracy and detail you require. This, in turn, can inform key decisions about some of your production processes and supply chain in a timely manner.

We are at the forefront of PCB and dioxin analysis. As a result we hold National Reference Laboratory (NRL) status for Dioxins & PCBs in both food and feed in the UK. We work regularly with legislative bodies to highlight trends and with industry to ensure current methods are fit for purpose within a complex area.

Our accredited analysis methods require only 50-200g per sample (depending on the food/feed type) to provide the accuracy and low detection limits required. Our target limit of detection (LOD) on a whole weight basis is;

• 0.01 ng/kg for dioxins and non-ortho PCBs,
• 0.01 µg/kg for ortho-PCBs
• 0.002 – 0.005 µg/kg for PBDEs.

This can support ongoing due diligence testing, reassure on regulatory compliance and product safety within a fluid regulatory landscape.

Analytes

Many different matrices can be tested not just foods, contact us for further information or to discuss your needs with one of our scientists.

Methods and Expertise

We use UKAS Accredited methods for Dioxins/Furans, PCBs, PAHs, Brominated Dioxins and Brominated Flame Retardants and make use of our accredited GC-MS methods to establish levels of a range of PAHs within your samples.

Our expertise is not limited to standard analysis and we work with a number of organisations on a consultancy basis to tailor analyses for specific requirements. If you have questions about PAH testing, legislation, or the regulatory environment, then Fera's consultant senior scientists with broad and deep experience in the food industry can advise and support research interests.

Note - Fat analysis, where required, is performed by a UKAS accredited sub-contractor