Dioxin and dibenzofuran levels in human blood samples from Guam, Russia, Germany, Vietnam and the USA

Abstract Analyses of general population human blood from various geographical locations for polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) were performed to compare levels of human and environmental contamination at the present time. Pooled or individual samples of blood from adults (usually over the age of 40) were collected in a number of selected locations including St. Petersburg, in western Russia; Baikalsk in Russia's eastern Siberia; and Guam, a South Pacific island. These are compared to previous data from West Germany. America and various locations in Vietnam. Seven hundred and fifty-five blood specimens were collected, 68 from Russia, 10 from Guam, 475 from Vietnam, 102 from Germany and 100 from the USA. Individual dioxin analyses were performed for samples from Guam and Germany; pooled blood was analyzed from the other locations. The German data includes mean, standard deviation, median, and range for each congener; mean values are also presented for Guam and Vietnam.