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Previous studies have suggested that exposure to environmental chemicals with hormonal properties, also called endocrine disrupting chemicals, may be involved in the occurrence of prostate cancer (PCa). Such exposure may also influence the treatment outcome as it is still present at the time of diagnosis, the beginning of therapy, and beyond. We followed 326 men in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) who underwent radical prostatectomy as primary treatment of localized PCa. We analyzed the relationship between exposure to the estrogenic chlordecone, the antiandrogenic dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE, the main metabolite of the insecticide DDT), and the nondioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl congener 153 (PCB-153) with mixed estrogenic/antiestrogenic properties and the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) after surgery. After a median follow-up of 6.1 years after surgery, we found a significant increase in the risk of BCR, with increasing plasma chlordecone concentration (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.51; 95% confidence interval: 1.39-4.56 for the highest vs. lowest quartile of exposure; p trend = 0.002). We found no associations for DDE or PCB-135. These results shown that exposure to environmental estrogens may negatively influence the outcome of PCa treatment., (© 2019 UICC.)

The aim of the study was to assess temporal trends in health risks related to most common persistent contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), lead (Pb), as well as mercury (Hg) among indigenous peoples living in coastal areas of Chukotka in Arctic Russia. This is examined in relation to exposure pathways and a range of social and behavioral factors capable of modifying the exposure to these contaminants, including place of residence, income, traditional subsistence, alcohol consumption, and awareness of risk prevention. The primary exposure pathway for PCBs is shown to be the intake of traditional foods, which explained as much as 90% of the total health risk calculated employing established risk guidelines. Nearly 50% of past DDT-related health risks also appear to have been contributed by contaminated indoor surfaces involving commonly used DDT-containing insecticides. Individuals who practiced traditional activities are shown to have experienced a 4.4-fold higher risk of exposure to PCBs and a 1.3-fold higher risk for DDTs, Pb, and Hg. Low income, high consumption of marine mammal fat, alcohol consumption, and lack of awareness of health risk prevention are attributed to a further 2- to 6-fold increase in the risk of PCBs exposure. Low socioeconomic status enhances the health risks associated with exposure to the persistent contaminants examined.

Background: Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in humans are influenced by a large number of factors including birth year, reproductive history and diet. Accordingly, information on dietary habits and socio-demographic variables may predict plasma concentrations of POPs, thus enabling studies on health effects in large epidemiological studies, without performing time consuming and expensive chemical analyses on entire cohorts., Aims: To develop and evaluate statistical models for predicting concentrations of POPs in participants of the Norwegian Women and Cancer (NOWAC) study, using questionnaire information and measured plasma POP concentrations., Materials and Methods: Information on estimated dietary intakes and socio-demographic variables from four different questionnaires (in 1991, 1994, 2004 and 2005) were obtained from participants in the NOWAC study. We measured POP concentrations in a total of 367 blood samples from 2005 and built multivariable linear regression models for p,p'-DDE, PCB-118, -138, -153, -180 and summed PCB concentrations in one subsample (N = 259) and evaluated the models in another subsample (N = 108). Measured and predicted values were compared using correlation coefficients and inter-method agreement was evaluated using weighted Cohen's κ for tertile categorization., Results: Median POP concentrations in the population ranged from 13 ng/g lipid to 162 ng/g lipid (lowest for PCB-118 and highest for p,p'-DDE). Common predictors for all POPs were birth year, breastfeeding and the weight-related variables (BMI or weight change), whereas influential dietary variables differed and were of varying importance. The predicted plasma concentrations were significantly correlated with the measured values (r s  = 0.24, 0.33, 0.41, 0.50, 0.56, and 0.54 for p,p'-DDE, PCB-118, -138, 153, -180 and summed PCBs, respectively). Tertiles of predicted plasma concentrations displayed significant, but varying agreement with measured concentrations (Weighted Cohen's κ = 0.19, 0.22, 0.33, 0.42, 0.45, and 0.50 respectively)., Conclusion: Predicted plasma concentrations of certain PCBs showed good precision (Kw > 0.4) when compared to measured concentrations. Thus, the models can be used to classify NOWAC participants into high, medium and low PCB exposure groups., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Human hair has been employed as a biomarker for exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), but information on the source of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites in hair is limited. The present study investigated the contamination of DDTs in human hair from a rural area and an urban area of South China and compared with those in human serum and indoor dust. The concentrations of ∑DDTs ranged from 2.30 to 489ng/g, with a median of 21.8ng/g in human hair. The ∑DDT concentrations (median=40.8ng/g) in female hair were significantly higher than those in male hair (median=20.6ng/g). There were significantly positive correlations between the concentrations of DDTs and ages in both the female and male hair, but the age-dependence for DDTs in serum was less significant. The profile of DDT analogues in female hair, differing from that in the male hair, was more similar to that in the indoor dust, suggesting a more important role of exogenous exposure in female hair. We estimated that exogenous source is responsible for approximately 11% and 20% of the burden of DDTs in the male and female hair, respectively. Adjusted multiple linear regression model showed significantly positive association between the p,p'-DDE concentrations in the paired hair and serum samples, indicating that endogenous origins are the primary sources of DDTs in the hair of the residents in the study areas. Our findings demonstrated that human hair is a reliable biomarker for body burden of DDTs and can be used in epidemiology research and retrospective assessment of DDT exposure., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the study was to assess the puberty of females living in cotton-growing regions of South Kazakhstan, where organochlorine pesticides are widely used. The physical growth and sexual development were assessed; organochlorine pesticides, gonadotropic and steroid hormones, as well as insulin-like growth factor 1 in the peripheral blood were determined. 524 females (adolescents aged 10-17) were examined. They were divided into 2 groups, depending on their place of residence. The clinical research included the assessment of physical and sexual development. All examined females lived in rural areas, i.e. they were comparable in terms of social, welfare, and climatographic factors. A high concentration of organochlorine pesticides (lindane-18.51±0.16mg/l, dieldrin-169.16±3.13mg/l, DDT-177.78±2.71mg/l, endrin-37.57±0.9mg/l) in the blood of females living in regions exposed to pesticides compared to their peers (4.05±0.41mg/l, 30.8±3.7mg/l, 109.7±2.58mg/l, 4.85±0.69mg/l respectively) was found (p<0.001). The physical and sexual development of such females was delayed. The research established a correlation between the concentration of pesticides and the endocrine status, as well as with the insulin-like growth factor 1. This shows the adverse effect of organochlorine pesticides on the development of the female reproductive system during puberty., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Synthetic pyrethroids are highly effective, widespread insecticides applied worldwide for different purposes. Among the possible sources of exposure for the general population, pyrethroid residues in food and their prominent use for the conservation of wool carpets or in indoor pest control might play a major role. On the basis of previous works, we have developed and validated a highly sensitive and specific GC/MS/MS-method to simultaneously quantify the metabolites of the most common synthetic pyrethroids in urine, namely cis- and trans-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid (DCCA), cis-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid (DBCA), 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (F-PBA), 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) as well as the metabolites cis-3-(2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (ClF3CA, λ-cyhalothrin/bifenthrin), 4-chloro-α-isopropylbenzene acetic acid (CPBA, esfenvalerate), and 2-methyl-3-phenylbenzoic acid (MPB, bifenthrin). After acidic hydrolysis to cleave conjugates in urine, the analytes are subjected to a pH-controlled extraction into n-hexane. After concentration, the analytes are derivatised using MTBSTFA and finally quantified by GC/MS/MS in EI-mode using d6-trans-DCCA and (13)C6-3-PBA as internal standards. The limit of quantification for these metabolites was 0.01 μg/L urine. Precision within and between series was determined to range between 1.6 and 10.7 % using a native quality control sample as well as a urine sample spiked with 0.3 μg/L of the analytes. To investigate possible background excretions, we analysed spot urine samples of 38 persons of the general population in a pilot study. cis- and trans-DCCA as well as 3-PBA could be quantified in every urine sample investigated, while MPB and F-PBA could only be detected in two samples. The median levels for excretion of cis-DCCA, trans-DCCA, 3-PBA, ClF3CA, DBCA, CPBA, F-PBA and MPA were 0.08, 0.17, 0.22, 0.04, 0.04, <0.01, <0.01 and < 0.01 μg/L urine, respectively. The excretion of metabolites revealed excellent correlations between cyclopropane carboxylic acids and 3-PBA. Our method is highly suitable for human biomonitoring of exposures to synthetic pyrethroids in environmental medicine. Remarkable are the high detection rates for the metabolites ClF3CA (90 %) and CPBA (40 %), proving that their parent pyrethroids have entered the market in Germany.

We have studied rates of diabetes in 601 members of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, ages 18-84 years, in relation to serum concentrations of 101 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and three chlorinated pesticides [dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and mirex]. Diabetes was determined from either a diagnosis by a physician or by having a fasting glucose concentration of >125 mg/dL. Rates of diabetes are high in this community. Three models were used. In the first model rate ratios (RR) were determined for quartiles of total PCBs after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and total serum lipids. For total PCBs RR=2.21 (1.2-4.2), while for total pesticides RR=3.75 (1.3-10.7). When the total PCB results were also adjusted for total pesticides and the total pesticide results were also adjusted for total PCBs (Model 2) the RRs were somewhat reduced. In Model 3 we considered subgroups of PCBs based on numbers of chlorines on the molecule (tri-/tetra, penta-/hexa, hepta plus) and numbers of ortho chlorines (non-/mono; di-, tri-/tetra-), and considered each of the pesticides individually after adjustment for all other contaminants as well as age, sex, BMI and serum lipids. We found a highly significant association between diabetes and PCBs with only three or four chlorines (RR=5.02), but no significant association with those with greater chlorination. When evaluating PCBs based on numbers of ortho chlorines only, those with no or one ortho chlorine showed significant associations. As mono-ortho PCBs include some with dioxin-like activity, we compared those with and without a TEF, and found that the association with diabetes was exclusively with the non-dioxin-like congeners. Of the pesticides only hexachlorobenzene showed a small but significant association with diabetes. Because lower chlorinated PCBs are more volatile and do not greatly accumulate in fish, these results suggest that inhalation is the major route of exposure to those PCBs that increase risk of diabetes.

Recent epidemiological studies suggest a strong association between exposure to environmental contaminants, including organochlorine (OC) insecticides or their metabolites, and development of pathologies, such as atherosclerosis, in which oxidative stress plays a significant etiological role. Biomarkers of systemic oxidative stress have the potential to link production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are formed as a result of exposure to xenobiotic toxicants, and underlying pathophysiological states. Measurement of F2-isoprostane concentrations in body fluids is the most accurate and sensitive method currently available for assessing in vivo steady-state oxidative stress levels. In the current study, urinary concentrations of F2-isoprostanes and serum levels of persistent OC compounds p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE), trans-nonachlor (a component of the technical chlordane mixture), and oxychlordane (a chlordane metabolite) were quantified in a cross-sectional study sample and the association of these factors with a clinical diagnosis of atherosclerosis determined. Urinary isoprostane levels were not associated with atherosclerosis or serum concentrations of OC compounds in this study sample. However, occurrence of atherosclerosis was found to be associated with serum trans-nonachlor levels. DDE and oxychlordane were not associated with atherosclerosis. This finding supports current evidence that exposure to environmental factors is a risk factor for atherosclerosis, in addition to other known risk factors.

Background: Perinatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may affect thyroid hormones homeostasis and impair brain development. Chlordecone, an organochlorine insecticide widely used in the French West Indies has known estrogenic and progestin properties, but no data is available, human or animal, on its action on thyroid hormone system., Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of perinatal exposure to chlordecone on the thyroid hormone system of a sample of infants from the Timoun mother-child cohort in Guadeloupe and their further neurodevelopment., Methods: Chlordecone was measured in cord blood and breast milk samples. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free tri-iodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) were determined in child blood at 3 months (n=111). Toddlers were further assessed at 18 months using an adapted version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)., Results: Cord chlordecone was associated with an increase in TSH in boys, whereas postnatal exposure was associated with a decrease in FT3 overall, and in FT4 among girls. Higher TSH level at 3 months was positively associated with the ASQ score of fine motor development at 18 months among boys, but TSH did not modify the association between prenatal chlordecone exposure and poorer ASQ fine motor score., Conclusions: Perinatal exposure to chlordecone may affect TSH and thyroid hormone levels at 3 months, differently according to the sex of the infant. This disruption however did not appear to intervene in the pathway between prenatal chlordecone exposure and fine motor child development., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The former use of chlordecone (CLD) in the French West Indies has resulted in long-term pollution of soils. In this area, CLD may be transferred into eggs of hens reared outdoors, through soil ingestion. In order to assess this risk, a kinetic study involving the contamination of laying hens (22 weeks of age) with a diet containing 500 μg CLD kg(-1) during 42 d, followed by a depuration period of 35 d was carried out. Forty-four hens were sequentially slaughtered all over the experimental period and their liver, egg, abdominal fat and serum were collected. Two additional edible tissues, pectoral and leg muscles, were collected in hens slaughtered at the end of the contamination period. The depuration half-life of CLD in liver, egg, abdominal fat and serum was estimated at 5.0 ± 0.38 (mean ± SE), 5.5 ± 0.29, 5.3 ± 0.37 and 5.1 ± 0.66 d, respectively. CLD concentration at the end of the contamination period reached 1640 ± 274, 460 ± 41, 331 ± 23, and 213 ± 8.5 μg kg(-1) fresh matter (FM), respectively. The corresponding concentrations in pectoral and leg muscles were 119 ± 8.4, 127 ± 11 μg kg(-1) FM, respectively. The steady state carry over rate of CLD in eggs reached 43 ± 7.6%. This experiment demonstrates the preferential accumulation of CLD in liver, its significant transfer to eggs and its quite short half-life. It is concluded that raising hens on even mildly contaminated areas would lead to products exceeding the regulatory maximum residue limit of 20 μg CLD kg(-1)., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pesticide exposure has been implicated as an environmental risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the body burden of the pesticide hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) with the risk of T2DM in a sample of adults from Saudi Arabia. Serum samples were obtained from 280 adult subjects. Hexachlorocyclohexane isomer residues were measured by high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Data on lifestyle, dietary habits, and health status were gathered. Associations between exposure and T2DM were analyzed by logistic regression. Around 49% of adults enrolled in this study were diagnosed with T2DM. Among various HCH isomers, serum concentrations of the pesticides β and γ-HCH were most strongly and consistently linked to T2DM in our studied subjects. Associations of HCH varied across five components of the metabolic syndrome. It positively and significantly associated with four out of the five components, especially elevated triglycerides, high fasting glucose, high blood pressure and HOMA-IR but negatively and significantly with HDL-cholesterol. This study in line with earlier ones about diabetes associated with HCH pesticide exposure and proposes possible hormonal pathways worthy of further investigation.

Objective: Chronic exposure to non-persistent pesticides (NPPs) is of concern because these substances have been associated with chronic diseases. However, few studies have addressed chronic exposure to NPPs in Spanish populations., Methods: We determined the presence of 24 pesticide residues by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in 363 serum samples obtained from non-occupationally exposed adults from Tenerife island in 2007., Results: Most of the samples (99.45%) showed detectable residues (6 ± 2 pesticides per sample). The most frequently detected pesticides were pyrethrins (96.1%), organophosphates (93.9%) and organochlorines (92.3%). The neurotoxicants bifenthrin and malathion were detected in 81% of the samples and hexachlorobenzene DDT and buprofezin in more than 50%. Malation, an "environmental obesogen", was detected in 82%, and "endocrine disrupter" pesticides were present in 97.2% of the samples., Conclusions: Because there is clear, continuous and inadvertent exposure to NPPs that may be inducing adverse effects on human health, NPPs should be included in biomonitoring studies., (Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Few studies have explored the consequences of environmental exposure to organochlorine pesticides for gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia (PE) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine pesticide that was used intensively, and almost exclusively, in the French West Indies until 1993. We investigated the impact of prenatal exposure to chlordecone on the occurrence of GDM, GH and PE by studying 779 pregnant women enrolled in a prospective mother-child cohort (Timoun Study) in Guadeloupe between 2004 and 2007. Chlordecone exposure was determined by assaying maternal plasma and information about pregnancy complications was obtained from midwives, pediatricians and hospital medical records after delivery. The risks of GH (n=65), PE (n=31) and GDM (n=71) were estimated by multiple logistic regression including potential confounders. Levels of chlordecone plasma concentration in the third (OR=0.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1, 0.5) and fourth quartiles (OR=0.3; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.7) were associated with a statistically significant decrease in the risk of GH. A log10 increase in chlordecone concentration was significantly associated with lower risk of GH (OR=0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.6). No significant associations were observed between the chlordecone exposure and the risk of PE or GDM. This study suggests an inverse association between chlordecone exposure during pregnancy and GH. Further studies are required to determine the underlying mechanism, or the potential unknown confounding factors, resulting in this association., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Persistent organic pollutants have not been conclusively associated with length of gestation or with preterm birth. Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide that has been extensively used to control the banana root borer population in the French West Indies. Data from the Timoun Mother-Child Cohort Study conducted in Guadeloupe between 2004 and 2007 were used to examine the associations of chlordecone concentrations in maternal plasma with the length of gestation and the rate preterm birth in 818 pregnant women. Data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression for length of gestation and a Cox model for preterm birth. The median plasma chlordecone concentration was 0.39 µg/L (interquartile range, 0.18-0.83). No correlation was observed with plasma concentrations of p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (ρ = 0.017) or polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (ρ = -0.016), the other main organochlorine compounds detected. A 1-log10 increase in chlordecone concentration was associated with a decreased length of gestation (-0.27 weeks; 95% confidence interval: -0.50, -0.03) and an increased risk of preterm birth (60%; 95% confidence interval: 10, 130). These associations may result from the estrogen-like and progestin-like properties of chlordecone. These results are of public health relevance because of the prolonged persistence of chlordecone in the environment and the high background rate of preterm births in this population.

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) in the blood of children living in the southeastern region of Mexico. In this study, we found high levels of DDT and its principal metabolite (DDE) in the blood of children residing in the communities studied. The levels of total DDT found in our study ranged from 4,676.4 ng/g lipid to 64,245.2 ng/g lipid. All of the children in the study had detectable levels of DDT and/or DDE. In conclusion, our data indicate that children living within the study areas are exposed to high levels of DDT and DDE. Moreover, these results can be used as a trigger to revisit local policies on environmental exposures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the DDT, DDE, and 1-hydroxypyrene exposure levels of children living in communities located in southeastern Mexico. The study communities were Lacanja and Victoria in Chiapas state and Ventanilla in Oaxaca state. Children living in Lacanja had total blood DDT levels (mean ± SD, 29,039.6 ± 11,261.4 ng/g lipid) that were significantly higher than those of children in Victoria (10,220.5 ± 7,893.1 ng/g lipid) and Ventanilla (11,659.7 ± 6,683.7 ng/g lipid). With respect to the 1-hydroxypyrene levels in urine samples, the levels in Lacanja (4.8 ± 4.1 μg/L or 4.5 ± 3.9 μmol/mol creatinine) and Victoria (4.6 ± 3.8 μg/L or 3.9 ± 3.0 μmol/mol Cr) were significantly higher than levels found in Ventanilla (3.6 ± 1.4 μg/L or 2.5 ± 0.5 μmol/mol Cr). In conclusion, our data indicate high levels of exposure in children living in the communities studied in this work. The evidence found in this study could be further used as a trigger to revisit local policies on environmental exposures.

Background: A chemical plant manufacturing pesticides has been operating since the 1950's in the Sacco River Valley (Central Italy). In 2005, high beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (Beta-HCH) concentrations were found in milk of cows raised and fed near the river. We report the results of a biomonitoring study conducted in this region to evaluate the body burden of Beta-HCH and to identify the determinants of the human contamination., Methods: We defined four residential areas by their distance from the chemical plant and the river, and selected a stratified random sample of 626 people aged 25-64 years. We evaluated the association, in terms of the geometric mean ratio (GMR), between several potential determinants and Beta-HCH serum concentrations using multivariate linear regression analysis., Results: Two hundred forty-six serum samples were analysed to assess Beta-HCH levels (mean concentration: 99 ng/g lipid; Standard Deviation: 121; Geometric Mean: 60.6; Geometric Standard Deviation: 2.65). We found a strong association between Beta-HCH and living in the area close to the river (GMR: 2.00; 95%CI: 1.36-2.94). Beta-HCH levels were also associated with age, level of education, use of private wells and consumption of local food., Conclusions: The results suggest that people living close to the river may have been contaminated by Beta-HCH, most likely through water from private wells and privately grown food. A programme of epidemiological and clinical surveillance is on-going on this population.

The Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) sought to determine baseline exposures to POPs in the general population; however, in developing countries, exposure to these chemicals in hot spots may be an issue of public health considering its magnitude. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the levels of POPs in the blood of children living in three communities in the Southeastern Region of Mexico. During 2007, we studied a total of 96 healthy children (aged 6-12 years). Quantitative analyses were performed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. High levels of p,p'-DDT and its principal metabolite, p,p'-DDE, were found in the blood of children living in the three communities studied, the levels ranged from 463.5 to 9046.3 ng/g lipid and from 490.8 to 57,712.4 ng/g lipid for DDT and DDE, respectively. In addition, high levels of lindane (γ-HCH) were found, with mean levels ranging between 575.4 and 6580.6 ng/g lipid. Moreover, children living in the study region were also exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the levels of these compounds in the blood of children were very similar between the communities with mean levels of around 3000 ng/g lipid (total PCBs). In conclusion, we demonstrated that children living in the studied communities were exposed to complex chemical mixtures (DDT, DDE, lindane and PCBs) rather than to individual compounds. Therefore, in future studies it is important to understand the potential interactions between the components of these mixtures., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The concentrations of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) compounds in cord blood of 214 children born between 2003 and 2006 in Manhiça (Mozambique) have been determined. In this time interval, corresponding to the period before DDT reintroduction for indoor residual spraying, the observed values averaged 0.8 and 0.4 ng/ml for 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4'-DDE) and 4,4'-DDT, respectively, and were similar to those found in western countries. However, the 4,4'-DDT/4,4'-DDE ratio was high indicating that the inputs of these compounds arriving to children in utero originated from recent uses of the insecticide. The strongest factor affecting DDT concentration was parity. A well-defined decreasing concentration trend was observed for the cord blood concentrations in the period of study. The trend was also observed for multiparae and primiparae mothers independently. Children from multiparae women showed much lower concentrations than primiparae women. Children from mothers with secondary school level exhibited lower concentrations of these pesticides than mothers with lower degree of education.

Due to extensive use, human exposure to multiple pyrethroid insecticides occurs frequently. Studies of pyrethroid neurotoxicity suggest a common mode of toxicity and that pyrethroids should be considered cumulatively to model risk. The objective of this work was to use a pyrethroid mixture that reflects human exposure to common pyrethroids to develop comparative toxicokinetic profiles in rats, and then model the relationship between brain concentration and motor activity. Data from a national survey of child care centers were used to make a mixture reflecting proportions of the most prevalent pyrethroids: permethrin, cypermethrin, β-cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and esfenvalerate. The mixture was administered orally at one of two concentrations (11.2 and 27.4 mg/kg) to adult male rats. At intervals from 1 to 24h, motor activity was assessed and the animals were sacrificed. Pyrethroid concentrations were measured in the blood, liver, fat, and brain. After controlling for dose, there were no differences in any tissue concentrations, except blood at the initial time point. Elimination half-lives for all pyrethroids in all tissues were < 7h. Brain concentrations of all pyrethroids (when cis- and trans-permethrin were pooled) at the initial time point were proportional to their relative doses. Decreases in motor activity indicated dose additivity, and the relationship between pyrethroid brain concentration and motor activity was described by a four-parameter sigmoidal E(max) model. This study links environmental data with toxicokinetic and neurobehavioral assays to support cumulative risk assessments of pyrethroid pesticides. The results support the additive model of pyrethroid effect on motor activity and suggest that variation in the neurotoxicity of individual pyrethroids is related to toxicodynamic rather than toxicokinetic differences.

Temporal dynamics of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were examined in fasting common eider (Somateria mollissima) females in one subarctic (68° N; over 5 years) and one high arctic colony (78° N; 3 years). Blood concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-153; 1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (p,p'-DDE), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured twice each season in eider females (total n = 162) during incubation (at day 5 and day 20). The mean wet weight concentrations of PCB-153 were ~3-5 times higher in the subarctic colony, whereas p,p'-DDE and HCB concentrations tended to be higher in high arctic than in subarctic eiders late in the incubation period. All POPs increased during incubation fast, but the relative increase in mean concentration varied more among years in high arctic than in subarctic eiders. In the high arctic, both lipid-metabolism and the increase in circulating POP concentrations were highest in the year when the mean ambient temperature was lowest. Moreover, females with low body condition and high lipid metabolism (body mass loss) had stronger increase in circulating concentrations of p,p'-DDE and HCB; the effect size being within the same order of magnitude in the two colonies. Hence, since eiders at high latitudes metabolized relatively more lipids, they experienced higher exposure of p,p'-DDE and HCB over the incubation period than birds inhabiting the more benign subarctic region.

Background: All the relevant risk factors contributing to breast cancer etiology are not fully known. Exposure to organochlorine pesticides has been linked to an increased incidence of the disease, although not all data have been consistent. Most published studies evaluated the exposure to organochlorines individually, ignoring the potential effects exerted by the mixtures of chemicals., Methods: This population-based study was designed to evaluate the profile of mixtures of organochlorines detected in 103 healthy women and 121 women diagnosed with breast cancer from Gran Canaria Island, and the relation between the exposure to these compounds and breast cancer risk., Results: The most prevalent mixture of organochlorines among healthy women was the combination of lindane and endrin, and this mixture was not detected in any affected women. Breast cancer patients presented more frequently a combination of aldrin, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD), and this mixture was not found in any healthy woman. After adjusting for covariables, the risk of breast cancer was moderately associated with DDD (OR = 1.008, confidence interval 95% 1.001-1.015, p = 0.024)., Conclusions: This study indicates that healthy women show a very different profile of organochlorine pesticide mixtures than breast cancer patients, suggesting that organochlorine pesticide mixtures could play a relevant role in breast cancer risk.

Objectives: p,p'-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (p,p'-DDE) acts as an androgen receptor antagonist, however data regarding its hormonal effects in men are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between serum levels of p,p'-DDE and reproductive hormone profile in Mexican male flower growers., Methods: A longitudinal study was carried out in a population of men working in the production of flowers and ornamental plants in two Mexican states during July-October 2004 (rainy season) and December 2004-May 2005 (dry season). A questionnaire including information on socioeconomic characteristics, tobacco and alcohol use, presence of chronic and acute diseases, occupational history and anthropometry was used and blood and urine samples were obtained. Serum levels of p,p'-DDE were analysed by gas chromatography; FSH, LH, testosterone, oestradiol, inhibin B and prolactin levels were measured by enzymatic immunoassay. Urinary levels of dialkylphosphates (DAPs) were analysed by gas chromatography. Associations between serum levels of p,p'-DDE and male reproductive hormones (both transformed to their natural logarithm) were evaluated using multivariate generalised estimating equation (GEE) models., Results: Median p,p'-DDE levels were 677.2 ng/g lipid (range 9.4-12 696.5) during the rainy season and 626.7 ng/g lipid (range 9.4-13 668.1) during the dry season. After adjusting for potential confounders (age, body mass index, state of residence and DAPs), p,p'-DDE levels were negatively associated with prolactin (β=-0.04; 95% CI -0.07 to -0.008) and testosterone (β=0.04; 95% CI -0.08 to 0.005) and positively with inhibin B (β=0.11; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.21)., Conclusion: These results indicate that p,p'-DDE can affect hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis function in humans.

Background: A plant of lindane in Barakaldo produced discharges of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). Closed in 1987 leaving inside 4500Tm; the problem was not solved until 2002. A judicial process required an epidemiological assessment of the possible contamination The aim of this study is to measure the degree of impregnation of the POPs in the nearby population., Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in 2008, 154 volunteers from three health centres in Barakaldo and 270 controls from Bilbao, Alonsotegi and Balmaseda. We measured serum levels of eight organochlorine pesticides, and seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). We used the χ² test to study the association between categorical variables and t test of Student to compare geometric means. Confounding factors were adjusted using a linear regression model., Results: There was a detectable compound average of 6.3 per person. PCBs 52 and 101, α -HCH, β-endosulfan and heptachlor epoxide could not be quantified; PCB 28, γ-HCH and p, p'-DDT were detected in 6.6, 0.9 and 8.05 % of subjects respectively and the β-HCH, HCB, p, p'-DDE, and PCBs 118, 138, 153 and 180 in the 73.8, 87.3, 98.6, 59.2, 97.6, 98.6 y 98.6 % respectively. After adjusting for age, there were no higher levels of β-HCH in Barakaldo than in controls, (beta = 0.02, SE = 0.07), or HCB, p, p'-DDE, PCB 118, PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 180., Conclusion: Six years after having solved the problem near to the factory and storage of HCH, there was no significantly higher levels of HCH, after adjustment for age.

Numerous studies have reported positive associations of environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) with the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In a case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study, a prospective cohort of U.S. women, we measured concentrations of PCBs and p,p'-DDE in blood samples from 145 women diagnosed with NHL at least 6 months after blood draw and 290 age- and race-matched controls. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for each quartile of exposure relative to the lowest quartile. We also evaluated these associations for major histologic subtypes of NHL. There was no consistent evidence of an association of p,p'-DDE, total PCBs, immunotoxic, or individual PCB congeners with risk of NHL. These results do not support the hypothesis of a positive association between PCB exposure and development of NHL., (Copyright (c) 2010 AACR)

Female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) starve during the nesting stage and may loose 30-45% of their initial body mass, mostly through lipid mobilization. In this study, the effects of fasting on the blood concentrations of three lipid-soluble organochlorines (OCs: polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB]-153; 1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethylene [p,p'-DDE]; and hexachlorobenzene [HCB]) were examined in eiders breeding in the high Arctic. Blood samples were taken from females (n=47) at day 5 and day 20 of the incubation period. The mean wet weight concentrations of PCB-153 and p,p'-DDE increased strongly between day 5 and day 20 (3.6 and 8.2-fold, respectively), while HCB increased less (1.7-fold). There was a strong negative association between daily increase in PCB-153 and clutch size, and a weaker relationship for p,p'-DDE, suggesting that maternal transfer to the eggs is a significant pathway of elimination of OCs in eiders. Moreover, poor body condition (body mass controlled for body size) late in the incubation period was associated with strong daily increase of both p,p'-DDE and PCB-153, which may suggest that the release of these compounds increases when lipid reserves become depleted. For HCB, the increase was mainly associated with increase in blood lipid concentrations, and weakly to the amount of burned lipids. The causes for the differences between the compounds are, however, poorly understood. Although the absolute levels of OCs in eiders were relatively low, their rapid build up during incubation is worrying as it coincides with poor body condition and weakened immune systems., (2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as PCBs, DDT and dioxins have in several cross-sectional studies shown strong associations with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Reversed causality can however not be excluded. The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate whether POPs concentration is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes., Methodology/principal Findings: A case-control study was performed within a well-defined cohort of women, age 50-59 years, from the Southern part of Sweden. Biomarkers for POP exposure, 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE) were analyzed in stored serum samples, which were collected at the baseline examination when the cohort was established. For 107 out of the 371 cases, serum samples were stored at least three years before their type 2 diabetes was diagnosed. In this data set, CB-153 and p,p'-DDE were not associated with an increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes. However, when only the cases (n = 39) that were diagnosed more than six years after the baseline examination and their controls were studied, the women in the highest exposed quartile showed an increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes (OR of 1.6 [95% 0.61, 4.0] for CB-153 and 5.5 [95% CI 1.2, 25] for p,p'-DDE)., Conclusions/significance: The results from the present case-control study, including a follow-up design, confirms that p,p'-DDE exposure can be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

The present study is aimed to assess persistent organic halogenated pollutants in humans living in Bangladesh. The results are compared to other similar studies in the region and globally. Human blood plasma were collected from groups of men and women with different occupations, i.e. being students, garment industry workers, employees at the Power Development Board (PDB), all groups in Dhaka, fishermen and fishermen wife's from Dhaka and another group from Barisal district. The plasma was analysed for hexachlorobenzene (HCB), the hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH and delta-HCH, the DDT group of chemicals, chlordane compounds, trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, trans-heptachlorepoxide, methoxychlor and mirex. The most abundant contaminant, in all groups studied, p,p'-DDE is dominating, with p,p'-DDT/Sigma DDT ratios indicating recent and ongoing DDT exposure. Among the other pesticides analysed beta-HCH is the most abundant indicating the use of technical HCH products instead of Lindane (gamma-HCH). While the Sigma DDT is present in the low ppm range the beta-HCH is detected in up to approx. 400 ppb, lipid basis. The beta-HCH is most abundant in the groups of students. In contrast to the pesticides analysed very low concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are present in all study groups, with e.g. CB-153 in the range of 5-30 ng g(-1) fat. The concentrations of the DDT group of chemical differ significantly between fishermen and fishermen's wives living and working in the Dhaka area versus those living and working in Barisal. Also, fishermen and their wives had significantly different concentrations of DDT compared to garment industry workers.

We analyzed 151 organohalogen chemicals (OHCs) in whole blood and subcutaneous fat of 57 polar bears sampled along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast in spring, 2003. All major organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, PBDEs and their congeners were assessed. Concentrations of most OHCs continue to be lower among Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears than reported for other populations. Additionally, toxaphenes and related compounds were assessed in adipose tissue, and 8 perflourinated compounds (PFCs) were examined in blood. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations exceeded those of any other contaminant measured in blood. SigmaChlordane concentrations were higher in females, and both SigmaPCBs and SigmaChlordane concentrations in adipose tissue decreased significantly with age. The rank order of OHC mean concentrations; SigmaPCB>Sigma10PCB>PCB153>SigmaChlordane>Oxychlordane>PCB180>SigmaHCH>beta-HCH>SigmaDDT>p,p-DDE>SigmaPBDE>HCB>Toxaphene was similar for compounds above detection limits in both fat and blood. Although correlation between OHC concentrations in blood and adipose tissue was examined, the predictability of concentrations in one matrix for the other was limited.

Ingestion has been a primary route of PCB exposure for people, especially those not working directly in industrial settings. During 2002-2004, women were recruited at delivery from two districts in eastern Slovakia: Michalovce with high PCB contamination from a chemical manufacturing plant, and Svidnik located 70 km to the northwest, having lower environmental levels of PCBs. Concentrations of 15 PCB congeners were measured in maternal serum using high-resolution gas chromatography with electron capture detection. A food frequency questionnaire was developed and validated at the Research Institute of Nutrition and School of Medicine in Bratislava, Slovakia. The questionnaire was comprised of 88 food items representative of the national dietary habits and designed to ascertain (1) the source of food items as reported by the women (locally produced or purchased from a retail outlet) and (2) quantities consumed of high-fat food categories representative of the national dietary habits. Our primary goal was to identify specific food sources, either locally produced or purchased from retail stores, that might predict serum concentrations of PCBs. We used multiple linear regression to examine the relationship of dietary fats to lipid-adjusted serum PCB levels in 948 adult women (Michalovce N=662, Svidnik N=284) who had recently given birth. We adjusted for residential district, age, body mass index, education and duration of previous lactation. Consumption of fat from locally produced foods was significantly associated with higher levels of lipid-adjusted serum PCB (beta=0.06, P=0.007). Fat from foods purchased in retail outlets showed no significant association (beta=-0.02, P=0.36). There was no interaction between district and diet in predicting serum PCB levels. Comparing women in Michalovce consuming 20 g of fat per day from local sources with those consuming 1 g of fat per day from local sources, lipid-adjusted serum concentrations were predicted to be higher by 81 ng/g lipid or 14.8% 630 ng/g lipid versus 549 ng/g lipid.

In 137 females (F) and 94 males (M) aged 21-35 years from organochlorines (OCs) polluted area (POLL) increased thyroid volume (ThV), prevalence of antibodies to thyroperoxidase (TPOab), thyrotropin receptor (TRab) and of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was found compared to 116 F and 107 M from background pollution area (BCGR). In F and M from POLL also strikingly increased level of PCBs, DDE and HCB was found. Such findings were compared to the generation of their parents aged 41-55 years consisting of 320F/213M from POLL and 406F/231M from BCGR. However, in spite of strikingly lower level of those OCs in young adults from POLL, they showed about the same prevalence of adverse health signs as the old generation. From such reason 44 young F and 40 young M with lowest PCBs level from POLL were selected to obtain nearly the same PCB level as found in all young F and M from BCGR. In such PCB adjusted groups the prevalence of TPOab, TRab, IFG and increased ThV was still significantly higher than that in all young subjects from BCGR. At the same time, also the level of DDE and HCB in such PCBs adjusted groups was considerably lower. It was concluded that such adverse effects in young adults from POLL possibly did not result from their actual OCs levels, but very likely from their exposure to high OCs levels of their mothers during their prenatal and perinatal life. Thus, the data may be compatible with present views on transgenerational transmission of endocrine disruptors action.

The present study objective was to investigate ratios and correlation coefficients between dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) compounds in cord and maternal sera of mother-infant pairs from northern Thailand. The study site was located in Chiang Dao District of Chiang Mai Province which was an agricultural and former malaria endemic area. DDT compounds were analyzed in 88 cord and maternal serum samples using gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). p,p'-DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene) was the major component and detected in every cord and maternal serum samples with geometric means of 1,255 and 1,793 n g(-1) lipids, respectively. p,p'-DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) was detected at 89.8 and 100% of cord and maternal serum samples, respectively. The second and third highest levels detected were p,p'-DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) and p,p'-DDT, respectively. The ratios between cord and maternal sera for p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, and p,p'-DDD that were less than 1 had high correlation coefficients (ratio = 0.70, r = 0.82 for p,p'-DDE, ratio = 0.62, r = 0.66 for p,p'-DDT, and ratio = 0.79, r = 0.78 for p,p'-DDD). The high correlation coefficients indicate that cord serum levels of DDT compounds could be accurately estimated from maternal serum levels. It can be concluded that cord serum levels of p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, and p,p'-DDD were approximately 70%, 62%, and 79% of maternal serum levels, respectively. Furthermore, our findings can be applied in public health to monitor and evaluate risk among infants from high DDT exposure area.

A solid phase extraction and gas chromatography with negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry in scan mode (GC-NCI-MS) method was developed to identify and quantify for the first time low levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in plasma samples of less than 100 microl from wild birds. The method detection limits ranged from 0.012 to 0.102 pg/microl and the method reporting limit from 0.036 to 0.307 pg/microl for alpha, gamma, beta and delta-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, endosulfan I, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE), dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan-II, endrin-aldehyde and endosulfan-sulfate. Pesticide levels in small serum samples from individual Falco sparverius, Sturnella neglecta, Mimus polyglottos and Columbina passerina were quantified. Concentrations ranged from not detected (n/d) to 204.9 pg/microl for some OC pesticides. All levels in the food web in and around cultivated areas showed the presence of pesticides notwithstanding the small areas for agriculture existing in the desert of Baja California peninsula.

Background: Evidence suggests that p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) affects neurodevelopment in infants, although a critical exposure window has not yet been identified., Objectives: Our goal was to assess the prenatal DDE exposure window and its effect on the psychomotor development index (PDI) and mental development index (MDI) during the first year of life., Methods: We recruited 244 children whose pregnancies and deliveries were uncomplicated, and whose mothers were monitored throughout the pregnancy. Participating mothers were not occupationally exposed to DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) but were residents of a zone in Mexico with endemic malaria. We measured serum levels of DDE before pregnancy and during each trimester of the pregnancy. We evaluated PDI and MDI of the Bayley Scales for Infant Development (BSID-II), at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of age. We adjusted for quality of the home environment and maternal intellectual coefficient (IQ). We used generalized mixed-effects models for statistical analysis., Results: Third-trimester DDE level (7.8 +/- 2.8 ppb) was significantly higher than the level at baseline, first, and second trimesters, but the differences never exceeded 20%. Only DDE levels during the first trimester of pregnancy were associated with a significant reduction in PDI (every doubled increase of DDE level reduced the PDI 0.5 points). DDE was not associated with MDI., Conclusions: A critical window of exposure to DDE in utero may be the first trimester of the pregnancy, and psychomotor development is a target of this compound. Residues of DDT metabolites may present a risk of developmental delay for years after termination of DDT use.

This population-based case-control study of African-American women (355 breast cancer case patients, 327 controls) examined the association between breast cancer and circulating levels of PCBs and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE), a metabolite of DDT. Case patients were diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma and interviewed between June 1995 and July 1998, and control subjects were identified by random digit dialing methods. Serum levels of DDE and total PCBs were adjusted for total lipid content. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable unconditional logistic regression methods. Effect modification by tumor receptor status and cancer treatment was investigated. Breast cancer risk was not associated with increasing quintiles of lipid-adjusted PCBs or DDE (highest versus lowest quintile adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI) and breastfeeding for DDE: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = (0.61, 1.72), p-trend = 0.74; for PCBs: OR = 1.01, 95% CI = (0.63, 1.63), p-trend = 0.56). Risk did not differ by strata of BMI, breastfeeding, parity, menopausal status or tumor receptor status. This study, the largest study of African-American women to date, does not support a role of DDE and total PCBs in breast cancer risk at the levels measured.

Human serum samples (n=142) from Iassy county (Eastern Romania) collected in 2005 were analyzed for p,p'-DDT and its metabolites, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers, chlordane and metabolites and 14 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. In all samples, p,p'-DDE (principal metabolite of p,p'-DDT) and beta-HCH (most persistent HCH isomer) were the most abundant organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) with median concentrations of 1975 and 923 ng/g lipid weight (lw), respectively. Hexachlorobenzene and p,p'-DDT were also detected in all samples, but at a lower median concentration of 30 and 340 ng/g lw, respectively. The large variation of the ratio p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE (range between 0.02 and 0.80) suggests various degrees of exposure to DDT, including recent exposure, at least to some subgroups of the population. Chlordane and its metabolites were in most cases close to the limit of quantification suggesting a very low use of chlordane formulations in Eastern Romania. Unexpectedly, PCBs were present in all samples at sometimes considerable levels (up to 4970 ng/g lw for sum of 14 PCB congeners) indicating a higher exposure of the Romanian population than previously reported. The PCB profile consisted of persistent congeners such as 138, 153, 170 and 180 which contributed for approximately 75% to the sum PCBs. Concentrations of most pollutants correlated significantly with age (r>0.86, p<0.01). Except for p,p'-DDT and gamma-HCH, the mean levels of OCPs in females were statistically higher than in males, while, except for octa-CBs, no gender differences were found for PCBs. Levels of p,p'-DDE, penta-CBs, hexa-CBs and hepta-CBs were significantly higher in individuals with a rural main residence. In a pooled serum sample, 6 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners were measured at a level of 1.04 ng/g lw. Compared to results available from Central and Eastern European countries, human serum samples from Romania contained higher levels of contamination. This emphasizes that an extensive and rigorous program for the monitoring of OCPs and PCBs in Romanian population is highly needed in the light of possible adverse health effects acknowledged for these pollutants.

Concentrations of persistent organochlorines (OCs)-such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), hexachlorobenzene, and tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane [TCPMe]-were determined in plasma samples from residents of three sub-metropolitan locations in Japan (Miyako, Saku, and Tottori) for the purpose of studying the geographic variation and specific accumulation of OCs. Residue concentrations of PCBs and DDTs were the highest in samples collected in Saku (400 and 370 ng/g lipid wt, respectively) whereas samples from Miyako contained greater CHL residues (70 ng/g lipid wt) than those from the other two locations. This contamination pattern reflects the historic use of OCs in each area. For the first time, tris (4-chlorophenyl) methane (TCPMe) concentrations were detected in most of the plasma sample analyzed. Concentrations of TCPMe which ranged from <0.1 to 8.1 ng/g lipid wt eight, were lower than those previouly reported in other human tissue. Larger geographic differences in OC accumulation were observed for PCBs and CHLs, whereas DDTs and HCHs exhibited little variability. PCB concentrations in samples from Saku residents were higher than those from residents of countries in the circumpolar Arctic region but lower than those reported for some populations in the United States and Western European countries. Interestingly, CHL residue concentrations in human blood from Japan are among the highest values reported for the countries examined, suggesting continued increased exposure to CHLs of the Japanese population. Time-trend analysis of CHLs in human blood samples from Miyako (Okinawa prefecture) showed that CHL residues have decreased substantially during the last decade, indicating the effect of the official ban of CHLs in 1986 in Japan. Isomer-specific analysis of PCBs revealed lower proportions of higher chlorinated congeners such as hepta- and octachlorobiphenyls in women than in men, suggesting the possibility of preferential elimination of higher chlorinated biphenyls in women. The difference in sex-dependent accumulation of OC compounds in healthy and ill persons was suggested. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the specific accumulation of persistent QCs, including TCPMe, in human blood samples from Japan.

Background: Human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is ubiquitous and found in all individuals. Studies have documented endocrine disrupting effects and impact on reproduction. The aim of the present study was to compare the level of xenoestrogenic activity in serum of groups with varying POP exposure, and to evaluate correlations to the POP biomarkers, 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE)., Methods: The study included 358 men: Greenlandic Inuit's, Swedish fishermen, and Warsaw (Poland) and Kharkiv (Ukraine) inhabitants. Xenoestrogenicity of serum extracts alone (XER) and XER competitive (XERcomp) effect on 17beta-estradiol induced estrogen receptor (ER) transactivity were assessed in the hormone free, lipophilic serum fraction containing the POPs using the MVLN human breast cancer cell line., Results: No agonistic XER activity was exhibited for Inuit serum samples, while 12 - 24% of the European samples had detectable agonistic XER activity. On the contrary, 71% of Inuit serum samples antagonized XERcomp compared to 7 - 30 % in the other regions. XER and XERcomp were not or weakly correlated to the two POP markers. XER activity of Inuit samples was negatively associated to levels of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE. For the Warsaw group a positive and negative correlation between XER and p,p'-DDE and estradiol equivalence level and CB-153 levels was found., Conclusion: No strong consistent association between xenoestrogenic net activity and the two POP markers was found. The results showed that the selected POP markers alone can not predict the integrated xenoestrogenic serum activity. Correlations to the POP markers were found at the extreme edge; the Inuit's and Warsaw study groups eliciting high frequency of samples with ER antagonistic and agonistic activity, respectively. We suggest that the variation in xenoestrogenic serum activity reflects differences in POP exposure mixture, genetic factors and/or life style factors.

Recent research has again raised the issue regarding the potential health effects of long term exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the context of a risk-benefit analysis. There remains clear evidence of the beneficial effects of fish consumption on public health and in particular fatty fish with its essential fatty acids. In addition to providing fatty acids, fish fat constitutes an essential source to vitamin D for the northern Norwegian population. Norwegian Food Control Authorities have recommended that children and women of childbearing age should not consume fish liver due to the risk associated with high intake of POPs. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of fish liver intake on the levels of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in a rural coastal community (n = 31) in northern Norway, applying a cross-sectional design. The geometric mean plasma levels of sum of PCBs (14 congeners) and p,p'-DDE was found to be 558 microg kg(-1) lipids and 179 microg kg(-1) lipids, respectively. These levels were not significantly affected by the reported intake of fish liver, when age and gender were considered. Age in particular, but also gender were significant predictors for most compounds. When merging the dataset with an urban population with considerable lower intake of fish liver, the intake of cod liver still did not significantly affect the levels of PCBs and p,p'-DDE when adjusted for age and gender. Age and gender remain the strongest predictors of plasma levels of POPs in this study whereas fish liver intake was not significantly associated with the POPs.

In June 2004, blood samples of fifteen volunteers were analyzed for presence of selected groups of chemical contaminants. The aim of this survey organized by WWF Poland (World Wildlife Fund) was highlighting the problem of man-made, persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals constantly present in surrounding environment and in our tissues. It was a part of European WWF "Detox" campaign supporting proposal of a new EU regulation that should lead to the identification and phasing out of the most harmful chemicals (known as REACH). Three laboratories in Czech Republic, Sweden and Belgium have analyzed blood samples for presence of the following groups of contaminants: organochlorine compounds (pesticides and polychlorinated pesticides), phthalates and perfluorinated aliphatic substances. The total number of single chemicals found in the blood samples was 25, that represents 64% of the 39 chemicals looked for. The average number of compounds found in the samples was 21 (from 19 to 22). Among organochlorine compounds analyzed, the predominant chemical found in the highest concentration was p,p'-DDE (range from 130 to 1310 ng/g of fat), which similarly like p,p'-DDT, beta-HCH, and HCB (concentrations ranging from 6,4 to 46 ng/g of fat) was present in every person's blood. Among analyzed polychlorinated biphenyls, in all samples the following congeners have been present: PCB-118, PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180 (concentrations ranging from 3,7 to 61 ng/g of fat). The two predominant phtalates from total eight analyzed present in all samples were di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) (concentration range from 49 to 293 ng/g of blood) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) (concentration range from 10 to 63 ng/g of blood). Among fifteen perfluorinated aliphatic substances analyzed, six have been present in each single sample (perfluorohexanesulfonic acid - PFHxS, perfluorooctanoic acid - PFOA, perfluorooctane-sulfonic acid - PFOS, perfluorooctanesulfonylamide - PFOSA, perfluorononanoic acid - PFNA, and perfluorododecanoic acid - PFDA). The predominant compound in this class of contaminants was PFOS with the concentration ranging from 4,4 to 14 ng/ml of blood. The limited number of samples does not allow for making an analysis of potential impact of different factors on concentrations of particular contaminants in human blood. Results obtained in this survey confirm the ubiquitous contamination by a cocktail of hazardous chemicals of every person tested. Humans being a part of the environment are being contaminated with the same chemicals which are present in surrounding air, water, food, consumer articles, etc.

Abandoned radar line stations in the North American arctic and sub-arctic regions are point sources of contamination, especially for PCBs. Few data exist with respect to human body burden of organochlorines (OCs) in residents of communities located in close proximity to these radar line sites. We compared plasma OC concentration (unadjusted for total lipids) frequency distribution data using log-linear contingency modelling for Fort Albany First Nation, the site of an abandoned Mid-Canada Radar Line station, and two comparison populations (the neighbouring community of Kashechewan First Nation without such a radar installation, and Hamilton, a city in southern Ontario, Canada). This type of analysis is important as it allows for an initial investigation of contaminant data without imputing any values. The two-state log-linear model (employing both non-detectable and detectable concentration frequencies and applicable to PCB congeners 28 and 105 and cis-nonachlor) and the four-state log-linear model (using quartile concentration frequencies for Aroclor 1260, PCB congeners [99,118,138,153,156,170,180,183,187], beta-HCH, p,p'-DDT +p,p'-DDE, HCB, mirex, oxychlordane, and trans-nonachlor) revealed that the effects of subject gender were inconsequential. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between the groups examined were attributable to the effect of location on the frequency of detection of OCs or on their differential distribution among the concentration quartiles. In general, people from Hamilton had higher frequencies of non-detections and of concentrations in the first quartile (p < 0.05) for most OCs compared to people from Fort Albany and Kashechewan (who consume a traditional diet of wild meats that does not include marine mammals). An unexpected finding was that, for Kashechewan males, the frequency of many OCs was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the 4th concentration quartile than that predicted by the four-state log-linear model, but significantly lower than expected in the 1st quartile for beta-HCH. The levels of PCBs found for women in Fort Albany and Kashechewan were greater than those reported for Dene (First Nation people) and Métis (mixed heritage) of the western Northwest Territories (NWT) who did not consume marine mammals, and for Inuit living in the central NWT (occasional consumers of marine mammals). Moreover, the levels of total p,p'-DDT were greater for Fort Albany and Kashechewan women compared to these same aboriginal groups.

Multivariate methods were used to predict levels of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in plasma from characteristics that included age, diet, race, reproductive history, socioeconomic status, and reported body mass index (BMI) at several decades of life before blood collection. Measurements were available for organochlorine compound (organochlorines), cholesterol, and triglycerides in plasma from 1,008 women participants in a population-based case-control study of breast cancer undertaken in 1996 to 1997 on Long Island, NY. Organochlorine compound levels were associated with age, race, lactation history, body size characteristics, and plasma lipids. PCB predictors also included fish consumption. DDE was correlated with current BMI, BMI at every decade of age from ages 20 to 60 years, and BMI-gain (from ages 20 or 30 years to 1997). In contrast, PCBs were correlated inversely with both BMI (fifth to seventh decades of age) and BMI-gain. After adjusting for covariates, DDE and PCB were both positively associated with BMI and inversely with BMI-gain; they were lowest with low BMI, high BMI-gain, and longer lactation. This pattern is consistent with a pharmacokinetic model that predicts higher body burdens during windows of highest uptake, faster elimination of organochlorine compounds in leaner women, and lowered levels accompanying BMI-gain. As a result, lifetime intake for specific organochlorine compound may lead to different plasma levels dependent on changes in body size, absolute intensity of intake, and whether exposure is ongoing (i.e., PCB) or long discontinued (i.e., DDE).

The purpose of the study was to investigate the possible effect of an environmental organochlorine, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), on male fertility assessed by main sperm variables, conducted through a case-control study on young men attending the andrology laboratory in the context of infertility investigation in the couple. Blood and semen samples were obtained from 73 young men considered as fertile based on semen analysis (controls) and 82 classified as subfertile or unfertile (cases). Standard clinical analysis of semen was performed and identification and quantification of p,p'-DDE in serum and in seminal plasma were done by gas chromatography. No p,p'-DDE was detected in the seminal plasma of either group. Blood concentration of p,p'-DDE in both groups was very low and did not differ between cases and controls; however, blood samples were obtained from 23 mothers in the control group, and from 19 in the case group, and p,p'-DDE serum level was significantly higher in the mothers of subfertile men. These data suggest that male infertility could be associated with exposure of the mothers to p,p'-DDE with deleterious effects restricted to intra-uterine life and thus undetected in blood or seminal plasma of subfertile men.

Background: Maternal exposures to organochlorines prior to pregnancy are considered a risk to neonatal welfare, specifically in relation to neurocognitive functions. There is growing interest in the evaluation of maternal blood testing as a marker for fetal exposure as well as the variable geographic distribution of these priority chemicals., Methods: Three hundred and twenty-three women in the second trimester of pregnancy entered the study at a prenatal clinic providing genetic counselling information. Subjects who had an indication for genetic amniocentesis based on late maternal age were eligible to participate. Two hundred and thirty-eight completed an environmental questionnaire. A sample of amniotic fluid was taken for karyotype analysis in 323 women and blood samples during pregnancy (209), at birth (105) and from the umbilical cord (97) and breast milk (47) were also collected. These samples were tested for 29 PCB congeners and organochlorine pesticides., Results: The concentrations of PCB 153 in these media were relatively low in relation to other studies. Sigma PCBs measurements in samples taken during the second trimester of pregnancy, at birth and in the umbilical cord were strongly correlated. Specific measurements of PCB 153 and PCB 180 among those subjects with completed sampling of blood samples from mothers and cord samples were significantly correlated. The concentrations of PCBs and pesticides did not differ in relation to prior spontaneous abortion history. There were no organochlorines present in the amniotic fluid at the current level of quantification., Conclusion: Pregnant women from the Western Canada region of Calgary, Alberta are exposed to relatively low concentrations of organochlorines. Measurement of maternal blood during the second trimester of pregnancy can reliably estimate the fetal exposure to PCBs. This estimate is reliable for Group 2 and 3 PCBs as well as PCB 153 and PCB 180. The amniotic fluid does not contain measurable concentrations of pesticides and PCBs under the conditions of the levels of quantification.

The great black-backed gull Larus marinus is a top predator in subarctic and temperate marine ecosystems, and the aim of this study was to investigate if organochlorines (OCs) were related to reproductive performance in this species at the subarctic parts of the Norwegian Coast. We measured blood levels of various OCs in 53 breeding birds. The OC levels were relatively low compared to levels found in nearby arctic areas. In females, however, there was a significant positive relationship between blood concentrations of OCs, especially hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and egg laying date, and a positive relationship between the probability of nest predation and blood concentration of beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), oxychlordane, and DDE. In females with high levels of OCs, especially persistent polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), there was also a decline in egg volume as egg laying progressed; i.e. the second and third laid egg were relatively smaller, compared to females with low OC levels. No relationships between reproductive parameters and OC levels were found in males.

Although PCB and PCB-containing materials are not processed for a long time, PCB is under discussion again and again caused by the pollution of indoor environments. To objectify the discussion, the dates of the PCB-biomonitoring, the organochlorine-compounds (DDE, HCB, beta-/gamma -HCH, PCDD/PCDF) and the polybrominated biphenyl ethers concerning the investigations within the project "Sentinel Health Departments" in Baden-Wurttemberg are represented. Additionally results from children from Kazakhstan (Aral-Sea area) and from teachers which are working in PCB polluted schools as well as from a long term investigated test person are reported. Blood concentrations of the following compounds decreased from 1996/97 to 2002/03: the sum of the concentration of PCB 138,153 and 180 decreased from 0.46 microg/L to 0.20 microg/L, DDE from 0.32 microg/L to 0.17 microg/, HCB from 0.20 microg/L to 0.08 microg/L, beta-HCH below the level of detection, I-TEQ NATO to 4.8 pg/g blood fat, TEQ WHO (without PCB) to 5.5 pg/g blood fat, PCB 126 to 18,8,pg/g blood fat and PCB 169 to 12.8 pg/g blood fat. The influence of breast feeding and the gender on the level of the pollution is conspicious. No local correlations were found in Baden-Wurttemberg, but they were found in comparison with the results of Kazakhstan (Aral-Sea area). The difficulty to produce time series while the analyzing pollutants are more and more decreasing, as well as the change of the calculation base of the summation of parameters like I-TEQ NATO to TEQ WHO are discussed.

Mercury and arsenic have been measured in urine samples and HCB, DDE and PCBs in blood samples of children from Aralsk and Akchi, Kazakhstan. Due to the special situation of Aralsk in the desert left by the drying out Aral Sea, environmental pollution with heavy metals and organic contaminants is believed to be higher than elsewhere in Kazakhstan. Aralsk was formerly located at the shore of the Aral Sea and is now far away from it. Akchi is a similar village and was included in this study as a Kazakh reference site. Urine concentrations of arsenic were higher in Akchi (9.4 microg/l) than in Aralsk (5.5 microg/l) and compared to children from Mannheim, Germany (4.25 microg/l; Median values). Regarding Hg, differences between children of Aralsk and Akchi were not significant and concentrations were lower than reference values from Germany. DDE contamination of children from Aralsk (2.48 microg/l) was significantly higher compared to Akchi (1.35 microg/l). DDE concentrations in blood samples from children in both cities were also significantly higher than the German reference value (0.7 microg/l). HCB and PCBs levels differed significantly between both Kazakh groups. However, concentrations of these compounds were lower than German reference values and there was no significant difference to samples from Mannheim children.

The authors measured the main ingredients of technical DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl [p,p'-DDT]) and its principal metabolite, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)ethylene [p,p'-DDE]) in serum collected from 52 pregnant women in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico in 1998. The median lipid-adjusted serum levels for the women were 676 ng/g p,p'-DDT (range: 56-23,169 ng/g) and 4,843 ng/g p,p'-DDE (range: 113-41,964 ng/g). In regression analysis, serum DDT and DDE increased with age (test for trend, p = .022) but decreased with total lactation (test for trend, p < .001). Residence in a house that had ever been sprayed for malaria control was also related to serum DDT and DDE. This study provides evidence of high-level exposure to DDT and DDE among pregnant women living in Chiapas, Mexico, despite countrywide restrictions on its use at the time.

During the past 20 years a number of studies have found neurological and immunological effects in the developing fetus and infants exposed to background or only slightly elevated levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To address concerns arising from possible increased human exposure in the Arctic and possible effects of POPs, all circumpolar countries agreed in 1994 to monitoring of specific human tissues for contaminants in the Arctic under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). Mothers in eight circumpolar countries contributed blood samples that were analysed at a single laboratory for 14 PCB congeners (IUPAC No. 28, 52, 99, 105, 118, 128, 138, 153, 156, 170, 180, 183, 187) and 13 organochlorine pesticides (aldrin, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), dichlordiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), diphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), dieldrin, heptachlorepoxide, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), mirex, and the chlordane derivatives alpha-chlordane, gamma-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor). Inuit mothers from Greenland and Canada have significantly higher levels of oxychlordane, transnonachlor and mirex than mothers from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Russia. Inuit mothers from Greenland also have significantly higher levels of these contaminants than Inuit mothers from Canada and Alaska. These differences among Inuit groups may represent regional dietary preferences or different contaminant deposition patterns across the Arctic. Levels of PCBs are also elevated among some arctic populations due to their consumption of marine mammals and are in the range where subtle effects on learning and the immune system have been reported. The Russian mothers who consume mainly food imported from southern Russia have elevated levels of DDT, DDE, beta-HCH and a higher proportion of lower chlorinated PCB congeners. This study has allowed an assessment of the variation of contaminants such as PCBs and various organochlorine pesticides (DDT, chlordane, etc.) in human populations around the circumpolar north.

Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) are ubiquitous compounds with carcinogenic and teratogenic properties. They are chemically very stable and lipophilic and, therefore, accumulate in our food-chain. They are prenatally transmitted from mother to foetus, and mother's milk due to its high lipid content is an elimination pathway of special importance. Therefore, breast-feeding has been held responsible for elevated concentrations of these organochlorine compounds as well as for harmful effects in children later in life., Methods: Blood samples (2.5 ml) were taken from each 10 breast-fed and bottle-fed infants at 6 weeks of age. Blood specimens were immediately centrifuged, and serum was stored in glass tubes at -20 degrees C until analysis. Three higher chlorinated PCB congeners (IUPAC nos. 138, 153 and 180), HCB, and the organic metabolite of DDT, p,p << -DDE, were analysed with capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Reliability was tested with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry., Results: There were no differences between the study groups of breast-fed and bottle-fed infants with regard to sex distribution, gestational age, birth-weight, age of the mothers, and smoking behaviour of the parents. In contrast, serum concentrations of all organochlorine compounds were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in breast-fed than in bottle-fed infants (mean): PCB 138, 0.38 vs. 0.10 microg/l; PCB 153, 0.49 vs. 0.1 microg/l; PCB 180, 0.31 vs. 0.04 microg/l; SigmaPCB, 1.19 vs. 0.29 microg/l; HCB, 0.13 vs. 0.04 microg/l; p,p << -DDE, 1.05 vs. 0.18 microg/l., Conclusions: Breast-feeding significantly increases the pollution of our infants with different organochlorine compounds as early as at 6 weeks of age. The progress of the present study will show whether this pollution will further increase with longer duration of breast-feeding, and whether breast-feeding bears any health risks for our offspring.