Dioxins

Animal-derived foods, contaminated soil and sediments, industrial emissions, combustion-related air pollution, occupational exposure

Dioxins are a group of persistent environmental pollutants that commonly refers to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and, more broadly, to dioxin-like compounds including polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and certain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These compounds are primarily formed unintentionally during combustion and certain industrial processes. They can persist in the environment, accumulate in fatty tissues, and become concentrated in food chains. Human exposure occurs predominantly through contaminated food, particularly meat, dairy products, fish, and other animal-derived foods. Individual compounds vary substantially in toxicity, and dioxin-like compounds are often evaluated using toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) to account for differences in their relative potency. PCDDs and PCDFs are addressed under Annex C of the Stockholm Convention as unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants. Examples include 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and other polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin congeners. Dioxins are regulated under Annex C of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which requires measures to reduce their unintentional release into the environment. They are also covered under the European Union's Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EU) 2019/1021, which establishes requirements for reducing releases and managing waste containing these compounds.