Evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contents and risk assessment for fish and meat products in Korea

Contents and human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fish and meat products in Korea were analyzed. Liquid-liquid extraction and HPLC with fluorescence detection were used. The average concentrations of total PAHs were 0.21 μg/kg for fish and shellfish, 1.97 μg/kg for meat, and 0.32 μg/kg for smoked products. The benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) content was <5 μg/kg and contents of 4 PAHs (benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and BaP) were lower than 30 μg/kg, which is the maximum tolerable limit. PAHs values were changed to BaP to conduct exposure assessments and risk characterization. Dietary exposure was 0.011-0.544 ng-TEQBaP/kg/day. The margin of exposure for all population groups assessed at the mean and 95th percentile was 13,757–9,090,909, of low concern. PAHs were detected in fish and shellfish, meat, and smoked products, but their contribution to human PAH exposure was small.