The contribution of environmental biomonitoring with lichens to assess human exposure to dioxins.

The contribution of environmental biomonitoring with lichens to assess human exposure to dioxins was the main purpose of this work. For that, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) were measured in 66 lichen sampling points. The obtained information significantly improved the basic knowledge on the environmental exposure to dioxins through distinction between effective control areas from areas with moderate atmospheric deposition. It allowed the integration of PCDD/F atmospheric deposition for much longer periods, allowing to relate low levels with long-term chronic effects on health. Thus, the production of high-resolution data on environmental exposure essential to perform reliable environmental health studies was possible. It was argued that PCDD/F in lichens may be used as spatial estimators of the potential risk of inhalation by the population present in the area. An example of the application of this data to select control and exposed areas for environmental health studies was presented.