Limit values for intakes of persistent pollutants via food

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The page includes limit values set up by international advisory and/or governing bodies regulating environmental health issues for intakes of persistent contaminants, organic or inorganic, via food. Contaminants currently included for their limit values are:


  1. Mercury (Hg) as its organic form, methylmercury (MeHg), the most readily bioaccumulated form
  2. Dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs)
  3. Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs)


Methylmercury, MeHg


Table 1. Limit values for MeHg intakes as body weight related concentration units per day set up by various international regulating bodies.

TDI PTWI RfD Year Reference Organisation
- - 0,1 µg/kg bw/d 2000 1, 2 NRC
- - 0,3-1,0 µg/kg bw/d 1998 3 Clewell et al. 1998 (meta-analysis or suchlike)
- - 0,1 µg/kg bw/d 1997 4 U.S.EPA for any person including children & pregnant women
- - 0,025-0,06 µg/kg bw/d 1995 5 Gilbert & Grant-Webster 1995
- - 0,05 µg/kg bw/d 1995 - Gilbert & Grant-Webster 1995, Rice 1992
- - 0,07 µg/kg bw/d 1993 6 Stern 1993
- 3,3 µg/kg bw - 7 JECFA for adults only
0,48 µg/kg bw - - 1990 8 The WHO/IPCS for adults only
TDI=tolerable daily intake[1]
PTWI=permissible tolerable weekly intake[1]
RfD=reference dose[1]
NRC=The U.S. National Research Council
U.S.EPA=The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
JECHA=the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
WHO/IPCS=The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) is a joint venture of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organisation, and the World Health Organization


Dioxins and furans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, PCDD/F and DL-PCB


Table 2. Limit values for PCDD/F and DL-PCB intakes as body weight related concentration units per day set up by various international regulating bodies.

TDI t-TWI PTMI Year Reference Organisation
- - - 2002 1 U.S. EPA statement:no new limit given
2 pg WHO TEQ/kg bw - - 2001 2
- 7 pg TEQ/kg bw - 2001 3 SCF
- 14 pg TEQ/kg bw - 2001 4 SCF
- - 70 pg WHO TEQ/kg bw 2001 5 JECFA
0,01 pg WHO TEQ/kg bw - - 2001 6 U.S.EPA
0,006 pg WHO TEQ/kg bw - - 7 U.S. EPA
5 pg WHO TEQ/kg bw - - 1999 8 The Nordic Expert Group
1-4 WHO TEQ pg/kg bw - - 1998 9 WHO
1 pg WHO TEQ/kg bw - - 1998 10 ATSDR
TDI=tolerable daily intake[1]
t-TWI=temporary tolerable weekly intake[1]
PTMI=permissible tolerable monthly intake[1]
U.S.EPA=The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
SCF=The Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission
JECHA=the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
WHO=World Health Organisation
ATSDR=The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry


Polybrominated diphenylethers, PBDEs


For polybrominated diphenylethers there is currently no limit values available. JECFA (the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) however has given an indicative threshold concentration at 100 µg/kg body weight/day, and concludes that ‘the limited toxicity data suggests that for the more toxic (less brominated) PBDE congeners (eg. BDE-47 and BDE-99) adverse effects would be unlikely to occur at doses of less than approximately 100 µg/kg bw per day’. FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) concurs with the JECFA conclusions.[2]


Additional references


  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 IUPAC glossary terms used in toxicology
  2. ↑ Food standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) 2007. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in food in Australia. Study of concentrations in foods in Australia including dietary exposure assessment and risk characterisation.
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