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In September 2013 a waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator located in the Turin area (Piedmont, Northern Italy) started to produce energy by the incineration of municipal solid wastes. The plant, one of the largest WTE incinerator in Europe, burns up to 490,000 tons of waste per year. A health surveillance program was implemented in order to evaluate the potential health effects on the population living near the plant. This program included a biomonitoring study aimed at assessing levels of several environmental contaminants including, among others, PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs. Before the WTE incinerator start-up (T0), a group of 85 subjects (41 “exposed” and 44 “not exposed” subjects) was randomly selected for enrollment by the local health units among individuals aged 36–50 years who had been living in the same area for at least five years prior to the study. Subjects were balanced by exposure area, sex and five-year age classes. As from the study design, the same cohort was re-evaluated after three years of incinerator activity (T2). A parallel study was conducted on a group of 12 farmers living and/or working in farms located in an area in the range of 5 km around the incinerator. Results of this study did not evidence any impact of the WTE plant on human exposure to PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs. In fact, no significant differences were found in the concentrations of PCDDs + PCDFs, DL-PCBs, and NDL-PCBs measured in the population group residing near the plant after three years of activity (T2) with respect to the control group. A significant decrease of serum concentrations of all the analytes was observed at T2 in both groups compared to T0. Serum concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs in the group of farmers were higher than those observed in the adult population under study.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was assessed in a cohort of 394 subjects, 198 residing in three small municipalities near a new waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator located in the Turin area, and 196 residing in neighbouring control areas in the town (of Turin). The assessment of exposure to PAHs was part of a human biomonitoring study aimed at assessing potential incremental exposure to pollutants related to incineration activities through the analysis of such pollutants before the plant start-up, and after one and three years of operation. The exposure assessment described in this study was carried out before the start-up of the WTE incinerator. Ten monohydroxy-PAHs (OH-PAHs) were analyzed in urine samples, consisting in the principal metabolites of naphthalene (NAP), fluorene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHE), and pyrene (PYR). Concentrations of the sum of OH-PAHs (Σ10OH-PAHs) were in the range of 525–85200 ng/g creatinine, with P50 equal to 6770 ng/g creatinine. Metabolites of naphthalene were found at the highest concentrations (P50 values of 892 and 4300 ng/g creatinine for 1- and 2-OH-NAP, respectively) followed by the three OH-FLUs (P50 values of individual compounds in the range of 58.2–491 ng/g creatinine), the four OH-PHEs (P50 values in the range of 30.5–145 ng/g creatinine), and 1-OH-PYR (P50 value of 82.8 ng/g creatinine). Concentrations of 1-OH-NAP, 9-OH-FLU, 1-, 2-, 3, 4-OH-PHE, and 1-OH-PYR were significantly lower in subjects living near the WTE plant compared to those living in the town of Turin, with differences between the two groups in the range 14–31%. Smoking habits markedly influence the urinary concentrations OH-PAHs. Median concentrations of the single metabolites in smokers were from 1.4 fold (for 4-OH-PHE) to 14 fold higher (for 3-OH-FLU) than those observed in non-smokers. The heating system used also resulted to be a major contributor to PAH exposure. Concentrations of OH-PAHs were generally comparable with those observed in other industrialized countries. The profile pattern was consistent with those reported in the literature. Concentrations of OH-PAHs assessed in this study may be considered indicative of the background exposure to PAHs for adult population living in an urban and industrialized area.

Background Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that represent a major concern for women of reproductive age because of the neurodevelopmental effects associated to perinatal exposure. Objectives This study was aimed at characterizing exposure of women of reproductive age to PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs as a function of residence in different Italian Regions, in areas at presumable different environmental contamination and human exposure to these pollutants. Methods Study participants were enrolled in 2011–2012 in 6 Italian Regions representative of Northern, Central and Southern Italy; in each region, areas at presumed different exposure (rural, urban and industrial) were selected for enrolment. Each participant provided a serum sample for the analysis of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs. Results Median concentrations of PCDDs + PCDFs, DL-PCBs, NDL 6 -PCBs and NDL 9 -PCBs in serum samples were respectively 6.0 and 3.5 pgWHO-TE 05 /g fat, and 75 and 93 ng/g fat. Age was the variable that most affected median serum concentrations. Age adjusted concentrations were found significantly different between geographical zones: women from Northern Italy showed the highest values, followed by Central and Southern Italy. PCDDs + PCDFs concentrations were significantly higher in the group of women residing in industrial areas compared to the group residing in rural areas. A clear diminishing temporal trend was observed compared to levels reported in previous studies. Conclusions This study produced the largest dataset on serum concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs in women of childbearing age in Italy. Results confirmed that environmental and lifestyle factors may influence exposure to these contaminants and thereby the body burden. The observed marked temporal decline in body burden during three decades is in agreement with the general trend observed worldwide.

Twenty-eight fish muscle specimens from the main water bodies of the Campania Region were analyzed in our laboratory. On average, results showed a low contamination by PCDDs+PCDFs and a relatively more important presence of DL-PCBs. All specimens were compliant with EU regulatory maximum levels. Cumulative PCDD+PCDF+DL-PCB concentrations (TEQ(TOT)) were comprised in the range 0.223-11.4 pgWHO(97)-TEQ g(-1) fresh weight (fw). DL-PCB contribution to TEQ(TOT) was on average greater than 86% (range, 50.2-97.1%). The cumulative concentrations of 30 non-dioxin-like PCB congeners (Σ(30)(NDL-PCBs)) and of the six indicators (Σ(6)(NDL-PCBs)) were respectively in the ranges 3.30-515 and 1.30-195 ng g(-1) fw. The hybrid clustering approach adopted to analyze the sample-specific congener profiles indentified the main analytical patterns present in the database and, in particular, two main diverse exposure macro-areas that seem to exist north and south of the city of Naples. The distribution of PCDD and PCDF congeners among different species showed significant variations from chub (Leuciscus cephalus), characterized by a higher proportion of low-chlorinated congeners (e.g. 2,3,7,8-T(4)CDD), to eel (Anguilla anguilla), whose contamination consisted mainly of highly chlorinated congeners (e.g. O(8)CDD). To have a more complete perspective in relation to the contaminants present in the environment, the study suggestion is to use benthic as well as pelagic species to obtain an integrated characterization of fish tissue contamination.

Due to safety concerns regarding dietary exposure to POPs, regulatory bodies are issuing detailed guidelines for testing for polychlorodibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs) ('dioxins') and dioxin-like (DL)-PCBs in foods of animal origin. Determination of the aforesaid chemicals at regulatory levels requires highly selective and sensitive testing techniques. The new generation of low-resolution mass spectrometers (triple quadrupoles) allows very low levels of quantification to be reached (in the order of tens of femtograms), thus suggesting a potential for their application in food and feed analysis. The performance of the low-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LRMS/MS) approach with triple quadrupoles was assessed on a qualified set of food samples from proficiency tests (PTs) and defense analysis. Accuracy was tested comparing the results with data from high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and with consensus values from PTs. The cumulative TEQ results were characterized by deviations not exceeding 15% of PCDD + PCDF, DL-PCB, and PCDD + PCDF + DL-PCB (TEQTOT) reference consensus values (sample TEQTOT range, 2.29–25.1 pgWHO-TEQ97/g fat). Congener analytical variabilities did not influence significantly the WHO-TEQ97 outcome of the corresponding sample. This preliminary performance evaluation highlights the potential of LRMS/MS as a routine technique for quantitative analysis of PCDDs, PCDFs, and DL-PCBs in food. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An observational study was set up to evaluate how the quality of the environment may influence the levels of of PCDDs, PCDFs, and DL-PCBs in sheep's milk. Seven farms under natural and anthropogenic pressures were considered, along with an inventory of the surrounding regular and natural sources of emissions. Analysis by HRGC-HRMS revealed the highest cumulative levels (2.1 pg of WHO(1998)-TE/g fat) in one organic and one conventional farm, each close to a relevant bushfire. Their pattern was characterized by a noticeable contribution (24%) from mono-ortho-PCB congeners to the cumulative WHO-TE. For the other farms, close to potential anthropogenic sources, the levels recorded in milk ranged from 0.7 to 1.3 pg of WHO-TE/g fat. The health and reproductive indicators were in all herds within the physiological range. Results suggest the environmental quality in extensive farming system should be eligible as a food safety factor, also for organic productions.

Breast milk monitoring studies of persistent and toxic environmental contaminants are of primary importance for carrying out an adequate risk assessment at the actual levels of human exposure and represent a major source of information on infant perinatal exposure. Milk specimens from mothers of the general population of the Venice and Rome areas were collected over the 1998-2001 period, pooled, and analyzed for selected persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorodibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, hexachlorobenzene), and polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and the heavy metals Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Sn, and Zn. The goal was to verify whether mother milk from the Venice area, whose lagoon is partly under direct industrial impact, had a contaminant load greater than that from the Rome area, primarily urban. For mothers from the Venice area, the correlation between fish and fishery product consumption and contaminant concentrations in milk was also explored, with however inconclusive results. The concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs, dioxin-like PCBs, and organochlorinated pesticides determined in this study were compared with those available from a previous analytical work carried out on 1987 human milk pools of domestic origin: the declining trend of the aforesaid contaminants in milk is confirmed to be in agreement with what was observed in other European countries. The breast milk content of (137)Cs and (40)K radionuclides was also determined and compared with data obtained in other research programmes carried out in Italy: the health risk for breastfed infants was deemed to be not significant.

The results are presented of a survey planned to assess the presence of high concern chemicals in sediments collected in a northern sector of the Adriatic sea neighboring the Venice lagoon. For the assessment, persistent marker chemicals were selected from the families of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorobiphenyls, polychlorodibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), and chlorinated pesticides. Based on the chemical-specific concentrations and PCDD + PCDF profiles determined in the sediments analyzed, dumping zones appear to have existed approximately 5–6 km away from lagoon shoreline. Contamination levels exceed the quality criteria established by the pertinent Italian national regulation at many sampling sites, eventually reflecting (“fingerprinting”) industrial activities once performed in the industrial settlement of Porto Marghera within the Venice lagoon. In coastal samples, concentration levels appear to be lower than those determined at offshore sampling sites.

Maize (Zea mays L.) can intercept airborne pollutants before their deposition on soil. Selected non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (Σ6NDL-PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Σ8PBDEs) with feed and food safety relevance were measured on maize leaves harvested for silage in dairy animals from 28 fields in Italy. Analyses were carried out by gas chromatography coupled to high- and low-resolution mass spectrometry. Contamination ranged from 0.65 to 5.3 ng g−1 with 12% moisture for Σ6NDL-PCBs, and from 2.7 to 6.2 for Σ8 PBDEs. Modelled contamination in cow’s milk was estimated to fall within the range 0.27–16 ng g−1 for PCBs, 0.17–1.9 for PBDE number 47, and 0.22–2.1 for PBDE number 99 on a lipid basis. The results indicate that maize silage alone may raise Σ6NDL-PCB contamination in dairy milk up to the 95th percentile in the European Union. Results are discussed in terms of air quality standards able to support food safety.

Fish and fishery products may represent one of the main sources of dietary exposure to persistent toxic substances (PTSs) such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls; polybromodiphenyl ethers; organochlorine pesticides; perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate; and inorganic mercury and methyl mercury. In this study, PTS contamination of Mediterranean fish and crustaceans caught in Italian coastal waters was investigated in order to increase the representativeness of the occurrence database for wild species. The objectives were to verify the suitability of regulatory limits for PTSs, identify background concentrations values, if any, and examine the possible sources of variability when assessing the chemical body burdens of aquatic species. Twelve wild species of commercial interest and two farmed fish species were chosen. Excluding methyl mercury, chemical concentrations found in wild species fell generally towards the low ends of the concentration ranges found in Europe according to EFSA database and were quite lower than the tolerable maximum levels established in the European Union; farmed fish always showed contamination levels quite lower than those detected in wild species. The data obtained for wild species seemed to confirm the absence of local sources of contamination in the chosen sampling areas; however, species contamination could exceed regulatory levels even in the absence of specific local sources of contamination as a result of the position in the food web and natural variability in species' lifestyle. A species-specific approach to the management of contamination in aquatic organisms is therefore suggested as an alternative to a general approach based only on contaminant body burden. A chemical-specific analysis performed according to organism position in the food chain strengthened the need to develop this approach.

The aim of this study was to characterize the placental transfer of some environmental pollutants, and to explore the possibility of quantitatively predicting in utero exposure to these contaminants from concentrations assessed in maternal blood. Levels of toxic substances such as pesticides (p,p’-DDE, β-HCH, and HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were determined in serum samples of 38 pregnant women living in Rome and in samples of cord blood from their respective newborns. The study was carried out in the years 2008–2009. PCB mean concentrations in maternal serum and cord serum ranged from 0.058 to 0.30, and from 0.018 to 0.064 ng/g·fw respectively. Arithmetic means of PFOS and PFOA concentrations in mothers and newborns were 3.2 and 1.4 ng/g·fw, and 2.9 and 1.6 ng/g·fw. A strong correlation was observed between concentrations in the maternal and the foetal compartment for PFOS (Spearman r = 0.74, p < 0.001), PFOA (Spearman r = 0.70, p < 0.001), PCB 153 (Spearman r = 0.60, p < 0.001), HCB (Spearman r = 0.68, p < 0.001), PCB 180 (Spearman r = 0.55, p = 0.0012), and p,p’-DDE (Spearman r = 0.53, p = 0.0099). A weak correlation (p < 0.1) was observed for PCBs 118 and 138.

Due to safety concerns regarding dietary exposure to POPs, regulatory bodies are issuing detailed guidelines for testing for polychlorodibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs) ('dioxins') and dioxin-like (DL)-PCBs in foods of animal origin. Determination of the aforesaid chemicals at regulatory levels requires highly selective and sensitive testing techniques. The new generation of low-resolution mass spectrometers (triple quadrupoles) allows very low levels of quantification to be reached (in the order of tens of femtograms), thus suggesting a potential for their application in food and feed analysis. The performance of the low-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LRMS/MS) approach with triple quadrupoles was assessed on a qualified set of food samples from proficiency tests (PTs) and defense analysis. Accuracy was tested comparing the results with data from high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and with consensus values from PTs. The cumulative TEQ results were characterized by deviations not exceeding 15% of PCDD + PCDF, DL-PCB, and PCDD + PCDF + DL-PCB (TEQ(TOT)) reference consensus values (sample TEQ(TOT) range, 2.29-25.1 pgWHO-TEQ(97)/g fat). Congener analytical variabilities did not influence significantly the WHO-TEQ(97) outcome of the corresponding sample. This preliminary performance evaluation highlights the potential of LRMS/MS as a routine technique for quantitative analysis of PCDDs, PCDFs, and DL-PCBs in food.

The levels of selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in human milk samples from the areas of Venice and Rome, primarily in order to characterize the current levels of infant exposure to PCBs and PBDEs due to breast feeding in Italy. Sixteen non-dioxin-like PCBs, including the traditional indicator congeners, and 11 PBDEs, comprising the relevant PBDE-47, PBDE-99, and PBDE-153, were determined. Congeners were selected for analysis according to their relative abundance in human tissues, toxicological relevance, and diffusion in the environment. Dietary habits of the milk donors were recorded by questionnaires; mothers of the Venice area were classified into three groups according to their consumption of local fish, molluscs, and other fishery products. Sigma(16)(PCBs) and Sigma(11)(PBDEs) (ng g(-1) fat) for the areas of Venice and Rome were respectively, 250-390 and 240, and 1.6-2.8 and 4.1. An increase of fish and fishery product consumption could not be associated with an increase of PCB and PBDE levels in milk.