Table of TEF (= toxic equivalency factors) for dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs: WHO-TEFs for human risk assessment based on the conclusions of the World Health Organisation (WHO)
International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) expert meeting which was held in Geneva in June 2005.
Martin van den Berg et al., The 2005 World Health Organisation Re-evaluation of Human and Mammalian Toxic Equivalency Factors for Dioxins and Dioxin- like Compounds. Toxicological Sciences 93(2), 223-241 (2006)
| Congener | TEF value |
|---|---|
| Dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs) | |
| 2,3,7,8-TCDD | 1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD | 1 |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD | 0.01 |
| OCDD | 0.0003 |
| Dibenzo-para-furans (PCDFs) | |
| 2,3,7,8-TCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF | 0.03 |
| 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF | 0.3 |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF | 0.01 |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF | 0.01 |
| OCDF | 0.0003 |
| Congener | TEF value |
|---|---|
| Dioxin-like non-ortho PCBs | |
| PCB 77 | 0.0001 |
| PCB 81 | 0.0003 |
| PCB 126 | 0.1 |
| PCB 169 | 0.03 |
| Dioxin-like mono-ortho PCBs | |
| PCB 105 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 114 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 118 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 123 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 156 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 157 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 167 | 0.00003 |
| PCB 189 | 0.00003 |
Abbreviations
T= tetra; Pe = penta; Hx = hexa; Hp = hepta; O = octa; CDD = chlorodibenzodioxin; CDF = chlorodibenzofuran; PCB = polychlorinated biphenyl
The TEF update of 2022
The TEFs of 2005 were evaluated by an expert panel, in Lisbon, Portugal in October 2022. The results are reported by DeVito et al., in an article of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 146, in 2024 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105525). New TEF values were proposed, but these vales are not yet adopted by the European Commission. The experts conclude, that applying the new TEF values on concentrations of dioxins and related compounds in human milk and seafood indicates that total TEQ tend to be lower than when using the 2005 TEFs.