Human exposure to persistent toxic substances (PTS) occurs daily, mainly through diet. As a consequence of continuous exposure, and because of their biological persistence, PTS are virtually present in all individuals, stored in their fatty tissues. The exposure of the Italian general population to PTS is a fact of relevance from a public health perspective, because of the number of toxic effects associated to these compounds, possibly occurring even at the current background level of exposure. In spite of this, data on PTS concentrations in humans, considered the best dose metric to carry out an adequate risk assessment, are scarce, as shown by the overview of available information we hereafter present. The Convention of Stockholm on persistent organic pollutants (POP), a group of highly toxic PTS, has entered into force last May. This will oblige parties to develop national implementation plans, thus creating a new opportunity to develop more efficient policies to control POP and other PTS present in food, humans and the environment.