Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in fish from South-West Germany: River Rhine and Neckar

14 samples of fish from Rhine and Neckar were analysed for PCDDs/Fs. Contents in the fillet ranged from 3.6 to 20.1 ng/kg FHO toxicity equivalents (FHO-TEQ) or from 8.1 to 39.2 ng/kg international toxicity equivalents (I-TEQ) on fat basis or from 0.25 to 2.75 ng/kg FHO-TEQ and from 0.4 to 5.4 ng/kg I-TEQ on freshweight basis. The daily intake of an average fish consumer was 0.07–0.72 pg FHO-TEQ/kg body weight. Non-2,3,7,8-substituted congeners contributed up to 8.4 % to the total FHO-TEQ. The pattern distribution of PCDDs/Fs indicated a species specific metabolism and/or intake of the different congeners.