Research Projects

The chemical analysis of selected foods was conducted to provide an estimate of the residue levels of PCDDs and PCDFs. The foodstuffs included saltwater fish, freshwater fish, beef, chicken, port, bovine milk, and eggs. The food- stuffs were collected from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Emphasis was placed on the collection of foodstuffs of California origin; Individual foods collected from multiple sites within San Francisco and Los Angeles were com- posited for analysis of the residue levels. Detectable levels of PCDDs and PCDFs were identified in all but the egg samples that were analyzed. Overall, the freshwater fish composites were found to have the highest incidence of detectable levels. The order of highest to lowest incidence of detection follows: freshwater fish > saltwater fish > pork and chicken > beef and milk > eggs. All data were generated from a sample size of approximately 1~ g of extractable fatty materials. All data are presented to reflect lipid or fat concentrations such that extrapolation with other databases can be achieved.