LGC Standards offers a range of reference materials to support dioxin testing of food and feed in food-safety laboratories.
The range has recently seen additions of dioxin and dioxin-like reference samples from Biodetection Systems (BDS).
BDS Dr Calux certified reference materials are designed for analysis of food and feed, and are said to be the only reference materials with values around the current EU limits measured by bioassays.
Recent scares relating to dioxin contamination of food and feed products have drawn attention to the need for sufficient testing procedures to ensure food safety.
Eggs, pork and poultry products contaminated with dioxins were potentially distributed worldwide from Germany after several thousand tonnes of contaminated fatty acids intended only for industrial use was discovered in feed for chickens and pigs.
German and European regulatory authorities have said that the levels of dioxin present in food are not dangerous to human health.
Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are chemicals that can also get into our food from the environment.
Long-term exposure can cause cancer, or damage to the immune and reproductive systems.
Laboratories testing products for the presence of dioxins and other contaminants require reference standards and materials to ensure the accuracy of results, and the validity of their testing methods.
LGC Standards has a range of reference materials for the analysis of dioxins, PCBs and related environmental contaminants, to assist testing laboratories.
