Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) residues in commercial pasteurized cows’ milk in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: To date, despite the facts that pasteurized milk is the most consumed dairy product in Iran and its consumption has increased almost two fold during the last 10 years, no data are available concerning the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in commercial cow milk in Iran market. METHODS: This study designed to determine the levels of PCBs in these products and to assess population exposure to PCBs by estimating the daily intakes. Pasteurized cows' milk samples (10 brands) were collected from local markets at two different seasons and analyzed using sensitive and reliable methods. RESULTS: values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The estimated dietary intake for target population was 0.06 pg TEQ/kg of body weight/day, much smaller than the amounts declared by the World Health Organization as tolerable daily intake.