RAPAM sampled eggs from chickens raised near the petrochemical complex in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico as part of IPEP's global egg sampling project for unintentionally produced POPs. Dioxins in sampled eggs were 6-fold higher than the existing European Union (EU) limit for these toxic chemicals and almost 19-fold higher than background levels (0.2 - 1.2 pg WHO-TEQ/g of fat) found in free range chicken eggs (see Annexes 2 and 3). In addition, the eggs exceeded the proposed EU limit for PCBs by 1.5-fold. To our knowledge, this study represents the first data about U-POPs in chicken eggs fromMexico.
