BACKGROUND: Commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour (SH) was banned in
February 2006 as a result of high dioxin levels in some SH seafood.
Because of concerns by some fishers about their own dioxin levels,
testing of serum dioxin levels was offered to SH commercial fishers
and their families. OBJECTIVES: Aims of this study were to describe
blood dioxin levels of SH fishers and family members; compare these
levels to background Australian levels and international data; analyze
association between intake of SH seafood and dioxin levels; and assess
whether blood dioxin levels were useful to inform ongoing care of SH
fishers. METHODS: NSW Department of Health conducted clinics at which
112 fishers and family members gave blood for analysis of dioxin
levels. Dioxin exposure was assessed through a questionnaire. Seafood
dioxin levels were provided by the NSW Department of Environment and
Climate Change. RESULTS: For the fishers (n=26), median TCDD and total
TEQ levels were 27.3 and 62.4pgg(-1) lipid, respectively. For the
whole group (n=112), median TCDD and total TEQ levels were 9.3 and
26.1pgg(-1) lipid, respectively. Age was the strongest predictor of
increased dioxin levels (p<0.01), and consumption of SH seafood was
also strongly associated (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Serum dioxin levels in
the SH fisher cohort were higher than Australian background levels,
but comparable with other international high fish-eating communities,
and lower than occupationally and accidentally exposed cohorts. High
TCDD levels in commonly eaten seafood by the SH fishers confirms this
as the likely exposure source. PMID: 18674796