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in the Food Supply
Strategies to Decrease Exposure
SO
Committee on the Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply
Food and Nutrition Board
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Insti-
tute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen
for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
under contract number 223-99-2321. The views presented in this report are those of the
Institute of Medicine Committee on the Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply and are
not necessarily those of the funding agencies.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in the food supply: strategies to decrease exposure /
Committee on the Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply, Food and Nutrition Board.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-309-08961-1 (pbk.); 0-309-52548-9 (PDF)
1. Dioxins Toxicology. 2. Food contamination.
[DNLM: 1. Dioxins adverse effects. 2. Food Contamination prevention & control.
3. Environmental Monitoring methods. 4. Food Supply standards. 5. RiskManage-
ment. WA 701 D595 2003] I. National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Committee on the
Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply.
RA1242.DSSD573 2003
615.9'512 dc22
2003016085
Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500
Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-
3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.
For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at:
www.iom.edu.
Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all
cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a
logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by
the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.
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"I(nowing is not enough; we invest apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do."
Goethe
...........
.... ................................
.......... ......
........ . .........
..
.: :::::
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Shaping the Future for Health
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medirine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of
distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the
furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the
authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate
that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr.
Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of
the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It
is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the
National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government.
The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at
meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior
achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of
. ~ . .
. ~ nglneerlng.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences
to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination
of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the respon-
sibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an
adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical
care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of
Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in
1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's
purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in
accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the
principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National
Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the
scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Acad-
emies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair
and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
www. nationa l-academies.org
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COMMITTEE ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF
DIOXIN IN THE FOOD SUPPLY
ROBERT S. LAWRENCE (chair), Bloomberg School of Public Health,
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
DENNIS M. BIER, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of
Medicine, Houston, Texas
ROBERT E. BROYLES, Chesterfield, Missouri
DOROTHY R. CALDWELL, North Carolina Initiative for Healthy Weight in
Children and Youth, Division of Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina
DAVID O. CARPENTER, Environmental Health and Toxicology, School of
Public Health, University at Albany, Rensselaer, New York
JULIE A. CASWELL, Department of Resource Economics, University of
Massachusetts, Amherst
KEITH R. COOPER, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers
University, Cook College, New Brunswick, New Jersey
,IAMES K. HAMMITT, Department of Health Policy and Management,
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
GAIL G. HARRISON, Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA
School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California
,IAMES T. HEIMBACH, JHeimbach LLC, Washington, DC
BARBARA A. KNUTH, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York
,IAMES D. MCKEAN, Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production
Animal, Iowa State University, Ames
PIETER ,1.,1. SAWER, Department of Pediatrics, University of Groningen,
University Hospital, Groningen, Netherlands
ROBERT E. SMITH, R.E. Smith Consulting, Inc., Newport, Vermont
MICHAEL R. TAYLOR, Resources for the Future, Washington, DC
KATHERINE L. TUCKER, Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture
Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston,
Massachusetts
Consultant
A. JOHN BAILER, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Miami
University, Oxford, Ohio
v
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Food and Nutrition Board Staff
ANN YAKTINE, Study Director
TAZIMA A. DAVIS, Research Assistant
SANAIT TESFAGIORGIS, Senior Project Assistant (through September
2002)
SYBIL BOGGIS, Senior Project Assistant (from September 2002)
Contributing Stafifrom the National Academies
TINA ROUSE, Program Officer, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources
ABIGAIL MITCHELL, Program Officer, Board on Environmental Studies
and Toxicology
vim
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FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD
CATHERINE E. WOTEKI (chair), College of Agriculture, Iowa State
University, Ames
ROBERT M. RUSSELL (vice chair), U.S. Department of Agriculture Jean
Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University,
Boston, Massachusetts
LARRY R. BEUCHAT, Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia,
Griffin
BENJAMIN CABALLERO, Center for Human Nutrition, Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
SUSAN FERENC, SAF Risk, LC, Madison, Wisconsin
NANCY F. KREBS, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health
Sciences Center, Denver
SHIRIKI KUMANYIKA, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics,
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia
LYNN PARKER, Child Nutrition Programs and Nutrition Policy, Food
Research and Action Center, Washington, DC
PER PINSTRUP-ANDERSEN, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York
A. CATHERINE ROSS, Nutrition Department, The Pennsylvania State
University, University Park
BARBARA O. SCHNEEMAN, Department of Nutrition, University of
California at Davis
NICHOLAS I. SCHORK, Polymorphism Research Laboratory, University of
California, San Diego
JOHN W. SUTTIE, Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin,
Madison
STEVE L. TAYLOR, Department of Food Science and Technology and Food
Processing Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
BARRY L. ZOUMAS, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural
Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Staff
ALLISON A. YATES, Director
LINDA MEYERS, Deputy Director
GAIL SPEARS, Staff Editor
GERALDINE KENNEDO, Administrative Assistant
GARY WALKER, Financial Associate
. .
via
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Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their
diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures ap-
proved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this indepen-
dent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institu-
tion in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the
report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness
to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confiden-
tial to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the
following individuals for their review of this report:
Ransom L. Baldwin, University of California, Davis
Alfred O. Berg, University of Washington School of Medicine
Tim Byers, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Edward M. Cooney, Congressional Hunger Center
Joanna T. Dwyer, Tufts New England Medical Center
George Fries, Silver Spring, Maryland
Helen H. Jensen, Iowa State University
J. Michael McGinnis, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Lars Noah, University of Florida College of Law
Timothy D. Phillips, Texas A&M University
Frank E. Speizer, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine
Virginia A. Stallings, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Lynn B. Willett, The Ohio State University
Six
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REVIEWERS
X
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive com-
ments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recom-
mendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The
review of this report was overseen by Patricia A. Buffler, University of Califor-
nia, Berkeley, and John C. Bailar, III, University of Chicago. Appointed by the
NRC and IOM, they were responsible for making certain that an independent
examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional proce-
dures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for
the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the
institution.
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Preface
Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, or DLCs, are found throughout the envi-
ronment: in soil, water sediments, and air. Exposure to these unintentional con-
taminants occurs largely through the food supply, although at low levels. Even
though DLC levels in the environment and in foods have been declining over the
past several decades, public concern persists because DLCs are widespread, and
there remains a great deal of uncertainty about their potential adverse health
effects. There is additional concern regarding the potential impact of exposure on
the population groups that are particularly sensitive to exposure to toxic com-
pounds (e.g., developing infants) and those that are more highly exposed than the
general population (e.g., breastfeeding infants and groups for whom fish and wild
game are important subsistence or cultural food sources).
Against the background of increasing knowledge about potential public
health effects of dioxins in the food supply, the National Science and Technology
Council's Interagency Working Group (IWO) on Dioxin recognized the need for
an independent group to examine the scientific evidence of the impact of the
presence of dioxins and related compounds in the food supply on food safety and
to assess options to reduce exposure to dioxins through foods that would maintain
optimal health and nutritional status for the population. IWG, with support from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, and other agencies and sponsors, asked the National Academies to
explore these issues. Thus, the Institute of Medicine, in consultation with the
National Research Council, convened a committee with a diverse background
and a broad scope of expertise to address the task put to them by the sponsors.
x~
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xt!
PREFACE
The committee was charged to review the scientific evidence to identify
potential ways to reduce the level of DLCs in foods. Importantly, the committee
was instructed to consider the need to protect the public and to assess the poten-
tial impact of its recommendations to food and nutrition policies, particularly
public education and food assistance programs.
The study sponsors recognized that data limitations would allow only quali-
tative estimates of net risk, descriptions of exposure reduction, and identification
of data needs. In response, the committee offered the sponsoring agencies an
array of options to reduce DLC exposure through foods while gathering the data
needed to determine future action. These options should also be of use to stake-
holders in the agricultural and food-processing industries and to public health
professionals.
The final recommendations are selected from the array of options and reflect
the committee's conclusion that, because uncertainties exist, the level of risk
must be determined with greater certainty before regulatory action can be taken,
and that it is in the public' s best interest for the government to develop a strategic
action plan that includes interim steps to reduce exposure as long as the steps do
not lead to undesirable consequences to human health and do not impinge unduly
upon the cultural norms of the population.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Committee on the Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply was aided
in its challenging tasks by the invaluable contributions of a number of individu-
als. First and foremost, many thanks are due to the committee members who
volunteered countless hours to the research, deliberations, and preparation of the
report. Their dedication to this project and to a stringent timeline was commend-
able and was the basis of our success.
Many individuals volunteered significant time and effort to address and
educate our committee members during the workshops, and the committee thanks
them. The committee wishes to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the
FNB study staff, Ann Yaktine, study director; Tazima Davis, research assistant;
and Sanait Tesfagiorgis and Sybil Boggis, senior project assistants. The commit-
tee is grateful for the contributions of Tina Rouse and Abigail Mitchell, program
officers. Special thanks also to Roberta Wedge, senior program officer, and Jamie
Jonker, program officer, for their helpful review and suggestions. The committee
also thanks Geraldine Kennedo for logistical arrangements, Marcia Lewis for
drawing the chemical structures, and Gail Spears for technical editing. This
project benefited from the general guidance of Allison Yates, director, and Linda
Meyers, deputy director, of the Food and Nutrition Board.
ROBERT S. LAWRENCE, Chair
Committee on the Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply
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Contents
ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 INTRODUCTION
Background, 13
The Committee and Its Charge, 14
Organization of the Report, 15
References, 16
2 A SUMMARY OF DIOXIN REPORTS, ASSESSMENTS, AND
REGULATORY ACTIVITY
Evaluations by Governmental Bodies, 17
Dioxin Regulations and Guidelines, 36
References, 50
3 SOURCES OF DIOXINS AND DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS IN
THE ENVIRONMENT
Major Sources of DLCs in the Environment, 54
General Information About the Quantitative Inventory of
Releases of DLCs, 58
Environmental Fate and Transport of DLCs, 60
Entry of DLCs into the Food Chain, 63
References, 65
. . .
x~
xv
. .
13
17
53
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xlv
4 ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
Direct and Indirect DLC Pathways into Food Products, 71
Livestock Production Systems, 74
Animal Husbandry Practices, 79
Fish and Seafood, 88
Wild Animals, 90
Animal Feeds, 91
Food Processing and Packaging, 99
Imported Foods, 104
Summary, 106
References, 107
HUMAN FOODS AND FOOD-CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
Dietary-Intake Patterns, 111
Current Dietary Patterns, 127
Dietary Guidance, 140
Summary, 143
References, 144
6 FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY
OPTIONS TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO DIOXINS AND
DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS
Categorizing Possible Risk-Management Options, 152
The Range of Possible Risk-Management Options, 154
Legal Framework for the Implementation of Interventions, 156
Analytical Tools for Health Risk Decision-Making, 161
Risk-Relationship Analysis, 162
Overview of the Proposed Framework, 165
Research Needs, 171
Conclusion, 171
References, 172
POLICY OPTIONS TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO DIOXINS
AND DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS
Introduction and Background, 174
Environmental Considerations, 178
Pathway I: Animal Production Systems, 178
Pathway II: Human Foods, 188
Pathway III: Food-Consumption Patterns, 194
CONTENTS
71
110
150
174
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CONTENTS
8 RISK-MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND
RESEARCH PRIORITIES
General Strategic Recommendations, 203
High-Priority Risk-Management Interventions, 206
Other Risk-Management Interventions That Deserve Consideration, 210
Research and Technology Development to Support Risk
Management, 213
Conclusion, 216
APPENDIXES
A Data Tables
B Total Diet Study Report: Dioxin Concentrations in Foods
C Open Session and Workshop Agendas
D Committee Member Biographical Sketches
xv
202
217
281
309
313
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Congener - One of two or more compounds of the same kind, as of animal or plant with respect to
classification.
Correlation coefficient - measures the degree of dependence of two variables; the more depenclent
they are, the closer the absolute value of the coefficient is to I.
De novo - Anew; often applied to particular biochemical pathways in which metabolites are newly
biosynthesized (e.g., de novo purine biosynthesis).
Dose - A quantity to be administered at one time, such as a specifier! amount of medication.
Epidemiology - The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events
in populations and the control of health problems, the study of epidemic disease.
Exposure - The condition of being subjected to the effects of a substance, such as infectious
agents, extremes of weather or radiation, which may have a harmful effect.
Genotoxin - A toxin (poisonous substance) which harms the body by damaging DNA molecules,
causing mutations that may lead to tumors, or neoplasms.
Halogenated - refers to a chemical compound or mixture that contains halogen atoms. Halogen
refers to those elements in the seventeenth column of the periodic table: fluorine (F), chlorine
(CI), bromine (Br), iodine Ail, and astatine (At).
Hepatotoxin - A toxin that is destructive to parenchymal cells of the liver.
Heterogeneous - Not of uniform composition, quality or structure.
Hydrolysis - The splitting of a compound into fragments by the addition of water, the hyclroxy!
group being incorporated in one fragment and the hydrogen atom in the other.
Immunologic - Pertaining to immunology, (a subfield of biology that deals with the study of
antigens and the immune process and how humans and higher animals fight off disease).
isotope dilution -A technique that can be used to determine the amount of a single substance in a
mixture, using radioactive tracers.
Lactation - The period of the secretion of milk.
Lipophlic - An element which has an affinity for fat.
Muktuk - The skin ant! underlying fat (blubber) layer of whale.
Narwhal Mattak - The mukLuk (skin and underlying fat (blubber) layer) of the whale, Monodon
monoceros. "Mattak" is commonly used as the dialect representation of "muktuk" in Baffin
Inuktitut language.
Neurobehavioral - Relating to neurological status as assessed by observation of behavior.
Neurodevelopment - Development of the central and peripheral nervous system starting at
conception and going through the life span of an organism.
Odds ratio - The odds of the outcome of interest occurring in the group with exposure compared to
the ocicis in the group without the exposure; or, conversely, the odds of having the exposure of
interest in the group with the outcome of interest compared to the odds in the group without the
outcome of interest.
Persistent organic pollutant - Chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate
through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the
environment.
Photolysis - I,ight induced cleavage of a chemical bond, as in the process of photosynthesis.
Regression coefficient - Amount by which the outcome of interest chances ner unit change in an
independent variable, such as an exposure measure.
~ ~ lo,
Relative risk - Rate of the outcome of interest in the population of interest compared to the rate in
the reference population.
Temporal - Pertaining to time; limited as to time.
XVI
F
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Acronyms and Glossary
ORGANIZATIONS, PROGRAMS, STUDIES
AAP American Academy of Pediatrics
AHA American Heart Association
ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act
CFIA Canadian Food Inspection Agency
CSFII Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals
EC European Commission
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDCA Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act
FSIS Food Safety and Inspection Service
JECFA Joint FAD/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
HHS U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer
NHANES National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
TDS Total Diet Study
UK United Kingdom
xv
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. . .
xvit!
USDA
WHO
WIC
CDD
CDF
DLC
dscf
dscm
EDo1
GAP
GMP
HCDD
HMIWI
HxCDF
I-TEF
I-TEQ
LED
MRL
N-TEQ
OCDD
OCDF
PCB
PCDD
PCDF
PCP
PeCDD
PeCDF
POPs
SMR
TCDD
TCDF
TDI
TEF
TEQ
TWI
ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY
U.S. Department of Agriculture
World Health Organization
Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children
TERMS
chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin
chlorodibenzofuran
dioxin-like compound; in this report, DLCs are the dioxins,
furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls that possess dioxin-like
activity
dry standard cubic feet
dry standard cubic meter
1 percent effective dose
Good Agricultural Practice
Good Manufacturing Practice
hexachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerator
hexachlorodibenzo -p -furan
international toxicity equivalency factor system
international toxicity equivalents
lower 95 percent confidence interval on the 1 percent effective
dose
minimum risk level
Nordic toxicity equivalents
octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
octachlorodibenzofuran
polychlorinated biphenyl
polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin
polychlorinated dibenzofuran
pentachlorophenol
pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
pentachlorodibenzofuran
persistent organic pollutants
standardized mortality rate
2,3 ,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
2,3 ,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran
tolerable daily intake
toxicity equivalency factor
toxicity equivalents
tolerable weekly intake
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ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY
XlX
GLOSSARY
Aerobic Growing, living, or occurring in the presence of molecular oxygen; for
example, bacteria that require oxygen to survive.
Anaerobic Growing, living, or occurring in the absence of molecular oxygen.
Beluga whale fat Fat of the white whale, Delphinapterus leucas; the fat is
commonly called blubber.
Body burden The total amount of a chemical, metal, or radioactive substance
present at any time after absorption in the body of a human or animal.
Brominated Combined or saturated with bromine or any of its compounds.
Carcinogen An agent capable of initiating development of malignant tumors;
may be a chemical, a form of electromagnetic radiation, or an inert solid
body.
Chlorinated Any organic chemical that includes chlorine atoms; chlorinated
organic compounds, along with other halogenated organics, have been
implicated in health risks such as cancer, endocrine system disruption, birth
defects, compromised immune systems, and reduced fertility.
Congener One of two or more compounds of the same kind with respect to
classification.
De nova Anew; often applied to particular biochemical pathways in which
metabolites are newly biosynthesized (e.g., de nova purine biosynthesis).
Dose A quantity to be administered at one time, such as a specified amount of
medication.
Epidemiology The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related
states and events in populations and the control of health problems; the study
of epidemic disease.
Exposure The condition of being subjected to the effects of a substance, such as
infectious agents, that may have a harmful effect.
Genotoxin A toxin (poisonous substance) that harms the body by damaging
DNA molecules, causing mutations that may lead to tumors or neoplasms.
Halogenated refers to a chemical compound or mixture that contains halogen
atoms; halogen refers to those elements in the seventeenth column of the
periodic table: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.
Heterogeneous Not of uniform composition, quality, or structure.
Hydrolysis The splitting of a compound into fragments by the addition of water,
the hydroxyl group being incorporated in one fragment and the hydrogen
atom in the other.
Immunologic Pertaining to immunology, a subfield of biology that deals with
the study of antigens and the immune process and how humans and higher
animals fight off disease.
Isotope dilution A technique using radioactive tracers that can be used to
determine the amount of a single substance in a mixture.
Lactation The period of the secretion of milk.
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xx
ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY
Lipophilic An element that has an affinity for lipid.
Muktuk The skin and underlying fat (blubber) layer of a whale.
Narwhal mattak The skin and underlying fat (blubber) layer of the whale
Monodon monoceros. Mattak is commonly used as the dialect representation
of muktuk in Baffin Inuktitut language.
Neurobehavior Neurological status as assessed by observation of behavior.
Neurodevelopment Development of the central and peripheral nervous systems
starting at conception and going through the life span of an organism.
Persistent organic pollutant Chemical substance that persists in the environment,
bioaccumulates through the food web, and poses a risk of causing adverse
effects to human health and to the environment.
Photolysis Light induced cleavage of a chemical bond, as in the process of
photosynthesis.
Relative risk Rate of the outcome of interest in a population compared with the
rate in the reference population.
Temporal Pertaining to time; limited as to time.
Toxicity The quality of being poisonous, especially the degree of virulence of a
toxic microbe or of a poison.
Toxicokinetic modeling The time course of disposition (absorption, distribution,
biotransformation, and excretion) of xenobiotics (foreign chemicals to which
organisms are exposed) in the whole organism.
Tropospheric Pertaining to the lower layer of the earth's atmosphere in which
the change of temperature with height is relatively large; it is the region
where clouds form, convection is active, and mixing is continuous and more
or less complete.
Vapor phase Phase when substances transition from a liquid state to gaseous
state through the breaking of molecular bonds.
Volatile Readily vaporizable at a low temperature.
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~ · ~
~ toxins d-
InVln l
n
in the Food Supply
Strategies to Decrease Exposure
hid
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