Polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans in imported canned fish in Nigeria and risk assessment

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) were measured in imported canned fish such as mackerel, sardine and tuna to evaluate the risk relating to human consumption of these products. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/ MS) was used to evaluate the concentrations of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in the samples. The Sigma 28 PCB concentrations in the canned mackerel, tuna and sardine ranged from 0.33 to 9.48 ng g(-1), <LOQ to 8.8 ng g(-1) and <LOQ to 15.1 ng g(-1), respectively, while the Sigma 14 PCDD/Fs concentrations varied from 0.06 to 4.70 ng g(-1) for mackerel, 0.72 to 9.43 ng g(-1) for tuna and not detected to 22.0 ng g(-1) for sardines. Health risk analysis suggests that ingestion of these samples could lead to adverse non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks over a lifetime.