The Italian Buffalo Milk Case – Results and Discussion of PCDD/F- and dl-PCB Analysis in Milk, Feeding Stuff and Soil Samples from Campania, Italy

.

The finding of elevated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and –furans (PCDD/F) and dioxinlike PCB (dl-PCB, ”WHO-PCB”) in milk, especially buffalo milk of the district of Caserta in the northern part of the rural region of Campania, Italy1,2,3 lead to a broad discussion in the last years with regard to concerns about human health in connection with the consumption of Mozzarella, a regional cheese specialty produced from buffalo milk.

Extensive monitoring programmes have been set up in order to control the situation and examine the contamination extent and sources. The programmes have been especially intensified in 2008, when over 1200 samples have been drawn and analysed, mainly from buffalo milk and other milk. Also related samples, such as feeding stuff from the farms concerned and local soil samples were analysed in order to trace back the contamination to its sources. A long history of illegal local waste burning throughout the whole region is supposed to be responsible for the dioxin contamination3. This assumption can be supported by the present data which were generated by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) analyses of PCDD/F and dl-PCB. This technique with its richness in additional information together with the high number of data sets gave a reasonably sound discussion base and allowed for considerations such as source identification for finding the contamination source as well as to link findings in milk, feeding stuff and soil.

.