Introduction:
The article presents the scope of problems associated with dioxins – chemical compounds commonly occurring in the environment of human life. The term dioxins covers the group of organic chemical compounds including polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and benzofurans. These compounds show a number of hazardous biological effects, therefore, the objective of the study was analysis of the available literature and highlighting the current problem – the presence of dioxins in food. Dioxins are a group of hazardous chemical compounds which possess the capability for inducing various types of toxic effects; however, their total elimination from everyday life is impossible. Dioxins have the ability of long-term accumulation in the body, leading to the violation of various homeostatic mechanisms responsible for the adaptation of the organism to the environment, and the effects produced by these compounds may manifest themselves even in the second generation. Despite the fact that the emission of these dangerous compounds into the environment is reduced by modern technologies and restrictive legal regulations, their concentration in the ambient air and food still evokes controversies. In order to prevent the negative effects of dioxins on live organisms it is necessary to implement effective methods of monitoring and surveillance, and systematically conduct widely understood, multi-directional research. Key words dioxins, contaminated food, human health