The effects of flooding on dioxin and PCB levels in food produced on industrial river catchments

Lake, Iain ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4407-5357, Foxall, Christopher D., Fernandes, Alwyn, Lewis, Mervyn, Rose, Martin, White, Oliver, Lovett, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0554-9273, White, Shaun, Dowding, Alan and Mortimer, David (2015) The effects of flooding on dioxin and PCB levels in food produced on industrial river catchments. Environment International, 77. 106–115. ISSN 1873-6750

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Abstract

This research examined the effect of flooding upon PCDD/F and PCB levels in milk, beef and lamb, produced on the floodplains of industrial river catchments. Our unique dataset included more than 200 samples analysed for PCDD/Fs and PCBs over two data collection phases (1998-1999 & 2008-2010) from working farms. A robust paired study design was adopted with samples taken from flood-prone farms and nearby control farms not subject to flooding. On industrial river catchments regular flooding is associated with higher PCDD/Fs and PCBs levels in soils and grass. This contamination may be transferred to food but the impact varied by food type. These contrasts may be due to physiological differences between animals, the ages at which they are sent to market and differences in animal husbandry. To minimise the risks of producing food on flood-prone land in catchments with a history of industrialisation, as well as on any land with elevated PCDD/F and PCB levels this research suggests a number of options. The choice of livestock may be important and as an example in our study beef cattle appeared to accumulate PCDD/Fs to a higher degree than sheep. Land management may also play a role and could include minimising the time that livestock spend on such land or feeding commercial feed, low in PCDD/Fs and PCBs, where appropriate.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	dioxins,soil,grass,risk assessment,lamb,food,milk,beef,flooding,pcbs
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	02 Feb 2015 17:02
Last Modified:	04 Mar 2024 17:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/51888
DOI:	10.1016/j.envint.2015.01.006

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