ABSTRACT
The term “dioxins” commonly refers to a group of aromatic organochlorine compounds, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), which are highly toxic environmental pollutants widely distributed in all global ecosystems. There are 75 PCDDs and 135 PCDF congeners-7 and 10 of them, respectively, being speci›cally toxic. In these compounds, hydrogen atoms have been substituted with chlorine atoms at a number of positions (Figure 12.1). Additionally, due to similar properties and common mechanisms of action, the word “dioxins” refers also to 12 out of 209 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—those that do not have chlorine substitution in any ortho position or have maximum one (Fiedler 2003). All these compounds belong to the group of dangerous chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
