Relation of serum tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin concentration to diet among veterans in the air force health study with background-level exposure

To examine the contribution of various foods to exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin (TCDD) in a background-exposed U.S. population, serum TCDD levels were examined in relation to diet as assessed by a standard diet assessment instrument among men with no known unusual exposure to TCDD. Our subjects were male veterans aged 42-76 yr who were in the unexposed comparison group in the Air Force Health Study, a study of the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and herbicides in Vietnam. Food consumption was assessed by a 126-item food frequency questionnaire. Two hundred and ninety veterans who had both TCDD levels and diet assessed in 1992 were included. In general, associations between serum TCDD and consumption of foods in specific groups or nutrients, that is, meats and fats, were not evident. Among younger men, fish and chicken intake were associated with higher serum TCDD levels. The results suggest that no single food group accounts for a large proportion of variation in TCDD exposure in older U.S. men.