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Spatial aspects of the dioxin risk formation in the Baltic Sea: A systematic review

Dioxins have been an inconvenience to the Baltic Sea ecosystem for decades. Although the concentrations in the environment and biota have continuously decreased, dioxins still pose a risk to human health. The risk and its formation vary in different parts of the Baltic Sea, due to variability in the environmental and societal factors affecting it. This paper presents a systematic literature review and knowledge synthesis about the regional dioxin risk formation in four sub-areas of the Baltic Sea and evaluates, whether systemic approach changes our thinking about the risk and its effective management. We studied the dioxin flux from atmospheric deposition to the Baltic Sea food webs, accumulation to two commercially and culturally important fish species, Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) and Baltic salmon (Salmo salar), and further to risk group members of four Baltic countries. Based on 46 studies, we identified 20 quantifiable variables and indexed them for commensurable regional comparison. Spatial differences in dioxin pollution, environmental conditions, food web dynamics, and the following dioxin concentrations in herring and salmon, together with fishing and fish consumption, affect how the final health risk builds up. In the southern Baltic Sea, atmospheric pollution levels are relatively high and environmental processes to decrease bioavailability of dioxins unfavorable, but the growth is fast, which curb the bioaccumu-lation of dioxins in the biota. In the North, long-range atmospheric pollution is minor compared to South, but the local pollution and slower growth leads to higher bioaccumulation rates. However, based on our results, the most remarkable differences in the dioxin risk formation between the areas arise from the social sphere: the emissions, origin of national catches, and cultural differences in fish consumption. The article suggests that acknowledging spatial characteristics of socio-ecological systems that generate environmental risks may aid to direct local focus in risk management.Peer reviewe

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How to improve governance of a complex social-ecological problem? : Dioxins in Baltic salmon and herring

This article focuses on the dioxin problem of Baltic herring and salmon fisheries and its governance that is based on natural scientific knowledge. The dioxin problem weakens the perceived quality of Baltic salmon and herring as food and affects the way the catches can be used. This influences negatively the fishing livelihood, the coastal culture, and the availability of the fish for consumers. We explored how the governance of the dioxin problem could be improved, to better address its socio-economic and cultural implications. We identified four main actions: (1) adopt environmental, economic and social sustainability, and food security and safety as shared principles between the environmental, food safety/public health, and fisheries policies, (2) establish collaboration between the environmental, public health, and fisheries sectors at the regional level, (3) enhance interaction around the dioxin problem within the fisheries sector, and (4) support the participation of the Baltic fisheries stakeholders in the EU-level food safety governance. Viewing dioxins in fish not only as a natural scientific problem but as a multidimensional one would enable a wider toolbox of governing instruments to be developed to better address the different dimensions. This would support steps towards collaborative governance and a food system approach.Peer reviewe

Estimated PCDD/F TEQ and total TEQ concentrations in the serum of 7-10 year old Finnish children

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that have detrimental health effects. As people are exposed to them mainly through the diet, EU has set maximum food dioxin and PCBs levels. EFSA CONTAM Panel made new risk assessment in 2018 that lowered the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) from 14 pg-TEQ/kg bw/week to 2 pgTEQ/kg bw/week. Critical effect was decreased semen count at the age of 18-19 years if serum total TEQ at the age of 9 years exceeded the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 7 pg/g lipid. However, it is largely unknown to what extent NOAEL is exceed in European boys currently. We thus measured PCBs from small volume of serum in 184 Finnish children 7-10 years of age. To estimate the TEQ levels of children from measured PCB levels, we used our existing human milk PCDD/F and PCB concentrations to create a hierarchical Bayesian regression model that was used to estimate TEQs from measured PCBs. For quality control (QC), three pooled blood samples from 18 to 20 year old males were measured for PCDD/Fs and PCBs, and estimated for TEQs. In QC samples measured and estimated TEQs agreed within 84% -106%. In our estimate for 7-10 year old children, PCDD/F TEQ exceeded NOAEL only in 0.5% and total TEQ in 2.7% of subjects. Risk management following the decreased TWI proposed by the CONTAM Panel should be carefully considered if total TEQ in children is already largely below the NOAEL. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Comparison of questionnaire data and analyzed dioxin concentrations as a measure of exposure in soft-tissue sarcoma studies

Soft-tissue sarcoma is one of the few specific tumors thought to be caused by polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and specifically TCDD. Evidence is, however, based on questionnaire-based case-control studies, and on very few cancer cases in cohort studies at high occupational exposures to chlorophenols or chlorophenoxy acid herbicides with dioxin impurities. Recall bias has been suspected to influence the reporting of exposure, but this possibility has never been adequately put to test. In the present study 87 cancer patients and 308 controls answered a questionnaire asking their exposure to wood preservatives, fungicides and herbicides, and insecticides, and their PCDD/ F concentrations were also measured. After matching for age and area 67-69 sarcoma patients and 153156 controls were available for the study depending on the chemical group, 1-3 controls for each sarcoma patient. Sarcoma patients reported exposure to these chemicals significantly more often than controls did, odds ratios were 6.7 for wood preservatives (p = 0.02), 16 for fungicides and herbicides (p = 0.01), and 4.9 for insecticides (p = 0.06). There was no association, when the analysis was based on measured PCDD/ F concentrations (odds ratios close to 1). Although it is not possible to exclude the role of the main chemical as the cause with certainty, the results indicate that recall bias is very likely in previous studies. Thus the causality between contaminant PCDD/Fs and soft tissue sarcoma cannot be considered proven. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe