Egg sampling for by-product POPs.
As part of the larger "Global Egg Study," eggs were sampled from free-range chickens adjacent to the Helwan industrial area hotspot for presence of POPs including dioxins, furans, PCBs and HCB. Helwan, one of the largest industrial areas of Egypt, is located in the South of the Cairo region. Free-range chicken eggs that were collected in Helwan and then sent to the Czech Republic for testing showed one the highest levels of dioxins ever measured in chicken eggs. Dioxins in the eggs exceeded the European Union (EU) limit by more than 40-fold. PCBs levels in the eggs were 5 times the proposed EU limit. The eggs also contained HCB. The presence of POPs in the Helwan chicken eggs are thought to be attributable to metallurgical industry, uncontrolled burning of wastes and cement kilns. Eggs were sampled within a 2km distance from a steel production facility and cement kiln and 4km from a coke plant. The study represents the first data about unintentionally produced POPs (U-POPs) in chicken eggs in Egypt. The report notes that the U-POPs found at the Helwan hotspot are those slated for reduction and elimination by the Stockholm Convention.
Outputs:
First-of-a-kind study/analysis of POPs, dioxin and HCB in chicken eggs in Egypt