Definition
Dioxins belong to the chemical class of polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons, along with furans and biphenyls. Seventy-five dioxins exist, differing in the number and position of chlor atoms on the backbone of the molecule. According to this, various dioxins have different shapes (e.g., planar) and different toxicities. The term dioxin is often used to refer to the most widely studied and most toxic dioxin: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Dioxins are usually found in mixtures, so complicating risk evaluation. Therefore, the concept of toxic equivalents (TEQ) has been developed for dioxins, furans, and biphenyls. As the most toxic compound, 2,3,7,8-TCDD has been assigned a toxic equivalency factor of 1.0, and all other...
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Esser, C. (2016). Dioxins and the Immune System. In: Vohr, HW. (eds) Encyclopedia of Immunotoxicology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54596-2_388
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