Assessment of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Some Imported Honey Sold in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria

Even though honey has many health advantages, the presence of pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in it could be harmful to consumers’ health. Thus, this study assessed polychlorinated biphenyls in imported honey sold in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria to establish the safety of the honey. Ten imported honey samples were purchased from superstores in Warri, Delta State. Honey samples were analyzed for PCBs using a gas chromatograph combined with a mass selective detector (GC-MSD). All the honey samples analyzed tested positive for PCBs. The concentrations of ∑28 PCBs in the honey ranged from 0.13 to 2.70 ng/g. There was significant variation in the concentrations of PCBs among these honey samples. The toxic equivalency (TEQ) concentrations for the dl-PCBs in the honey samples ranged 3.69 × 10-5 to 4.3 × 10-2 ng/g. The TEQ concentrations in 40 % of the honey samples were above the European Commission’s specified limits of 6.5 × 10-3 ng/g. The estimated daily intakes were above the maximum permissible daily intake of PCBs specified by the World Health Organization. The values of both the hazard index and total cancer risks from human intake of the honey samples were < 1 and 1 × 10-4 respectively in 60 % of the honey suggesting that there are no potential health risks via the honey consumption.