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Background: Environmental pollution is a serious public health problem because of its adverse effects on both human health and biodiversity. In Western countries, many human biomonitoring (HBM) studies are conducted to assess population exposure to pollutants. In contrast, the number of HBM studies in Africa is very low., Objective: To measure contamination by arsenic, lead, 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4'-DDE) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in the adult population of Kinshasa and to identify the susceptible population., Methods: In the present work, we measured the contamination by arsenic in urine and lead in blood and by 4,4'-DDE and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in serum in samples collected from 151 volunteers recruited in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)., Results: The PCBs 180, -153 and -138 were detected in most samples with median concentrations of 0.04, 0.05 and 0.04 ng/ml, respectively. The median concentration of 4,4'-DDE was 0.83 ng/ml and 12.7% of our population showed contamination above the threshold of 3.675 ng/ml, which is associated with a significantly higher risk of cancer. Arsenic concentrations were also high (median: 48.1 μg/L in urine). Finally, exposure to lead is problematic: the median blood concentration was 54.9 μg/L, which is above the thresholds proposed by the WHO and the US CDC (50 μg/L and 35 μg/L respectively) to initiate clinical intervention, and 12.6% of the population had a lead level above 100 μg/L, which is associated with several health outcomes., Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for further HBM studies in Africa and should encourage the authorities of the DRC to implement laws and regulations to reduce pollution and population exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no competing interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The trace OCP concentrations, such as α-, β-, and γ-HCH, DDT and its metabolites (DDD and DDE) in blood and urine of residents from the south of the Russian Far East was revealed. A large range of OCPs was found in the urine: α- and γ-isomers of HCH, DDT and DDE. The only β-HCH was detected in the blood; this indicates its persistence and the difficulty of excretion this substance from the organism. The total trace OCP concentration, found in the biological fluids of residents of the south of the Russian Far East, providing further evidence that these organic contaminants persist in the environment.

Pesticide exposure is a potential risk factor for increased asthma prevalence among children. The authors used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2008) biomarker data to evaluate dialkylphosphate (DAP) urinary concentrations, serum dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and asthma among school-aged children (Mexican American, Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White). Poisson logistic regression included age, sex, nativity, poverty index ratio, tobacco smoke exposure, and body mass index covariates. No association was found between DAP (N=2,777) and asthma outcomes; adverse effect of DDE (N=940) was suggested for Current Wheeze. Subgroup analyses identified positive associations with some asthma outcomes among Non-Hispanic Blacks, whereas inverse associations were identified among Mexican Americans. Results support previous associations observed among children's DDE exposure and wheeze. Characterization of risk factors for pesticide exposure and disease recognition among Mexican Americans is needed.