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Foodstuffs

Monitoring of food matrices

Responsabile:

Giuseppe RuSS Biostatistica, Epidemiologia ed Analisi del Rischio, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta

In collaborazione con: Servizio Veterinario ASL TO3

This line of activity entails (2020-2023) monitoring foodstuffs (hen’s eggs and hay) in order to:

  • Detect possible changes in the levels of dioxins and PCBs in free range hens and forage (hay) collected in the area of interest of the plant
  • Identify possible changes in the profile of dioxin and PCB congeners in the eggs and hay compared to samples detected in 2012-2013 (before the plant went into operation) and historical data retrieved from the IT archives of the Istituto Zooprofilattico
  • Set up four sampling sites roughly along a straight line in an area with a radius of 3-5 km from the plant

The eggs will be used in the study of farms whose owners stated they would accept free range egg-laying hens and would follow recommendations for preventing soil contamination. Twice a year, 12 eggs will be collected for 1 week. Contaminant-free pellet chicken feed will be supplied.

Hay will be harvested from fields cultivated for producing forage for the farm. First-crop hay will be harvested, as it is longest in the field and longest exposed to pollutants. The hay will be harvested once a year for 3 years.

The farmers will complete an environmental questionnaire investigating local sources of pollution.