1. Requirements for confirmatory methods of analysis used in offical control of the levels of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs

Specific requirements for GC/MS methods to be complied with for confirmatory purposes are laid down in Annex II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1883/2006 of 19 December 2006 for certain foodstuffs and in Annex I of Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 of 27 January 2009 for feed.

2. Influence of new WHO-TEFs on TEQ-based results of food samples

The existing maximum and action levels are fixed on basis of WHO-TEFs published in 1998 (Van den Berg et al., (1998) Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) for PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs for Humans and for Wildlife. Environmental Health Perspectives, 106 (12), 775). These TEFs were revised in 2005 (Van den Berg et al., (2006) The 2005 World Health Organization Re-evaluation of Human and Mammalian Toxic Equivalency Factors for Dioxins and Dioxin-like Compounds. Toxicological Sciences, 93, 223). These changes will be considered at the review of maximum and action levels of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs. Therfore, the levels of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in 1121 food samples of different matrices collected between 2002 and 2006 were evaluated with both TEF concepts. The results of the comparison was presented at the Dioxin conference in Tokyo 2007 and published in Organohalogen Compounds.

3. Analytical requirements for determination of non dioxin-like PCBs in Food

The EU Commission has initiated steps to set maximum levels for non dioxin-like PCBs expressed as sum of the concentrations of six indicator PCBs (PCB28, PCB 52, PCB 101, PCB 138, PCB 153, PCB 180) in certain food samples. Therefore, the CRL for Dioxins and PCBs in Food and Feed developed a working document in cooperation with the network of national reference laboratories (NRLs) of the EU member states containing criteria for the analysis of non dioxin-like PCBs as basis for possible future EU legislation.
The criteria for analytical methods proposed in the working document was presented at the Dioxin conference in Beijing 2009 and published in Organohalogen Compounds.

Requirements for biological and GC/MS screening methods

Specific requirements for biological and GC/MS methods to be complied with for screening methods are laid down in Annex II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1883/2006 of 19 December 2006 for certain foodstuffs and in Annex I of Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 of 27 January 2009 for feed.

Biological Screening methods

Further information on the activities and research of the CRL for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food in the field of bioanalytical methods, in particular CALUX bioassays, is available here: Bioanalytical Methods