Assessment of human exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Japan using archived samples from the early 1980s and mid-1990s

• Published in: Environmental research 2005-09, Vol.99 (1), p.31-39
• Main Authors: Koizumi, Akio, Yoshinaga, Takeo, Harada, Kouji, Inoue, Kayoko, Morikawa, Akiko, Muroi, Junko, Inoue, Sumiko, Eslami, Bita, Fujii, Shigeo, Fujimine, Yoshinori, Hachiya, Noriyuki, Koda, Shigeki, Kusaka, Yukinori, Murata, Katsuyuki, Nakatsuka, Haruo, Omae, Kazuyuki, Saito, Norimitsu, Shimbo, Shinichiro, Takenaka, Katsunobu, Takeshita, Tatsuya, Todoriki, Hidemi, Wada, Yasuhiko, Watanabe, Takao, Ikeda, Masayuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Data Collection; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Exposure; Female; Food; Food Contamination - analysis; General aspects; Humans; Japan; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Phenyl Ethers - analysis; Phenyl Ethers - blood; Polybrominated Biphenyls - analysis; Polybrominated Biphenyls - blood; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - blood; Retrospective Studies; Serum; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2004.12.002

Persistent organic pollutants have been linked to various adverse effects on human health. We conducted a retrospective exposure assessment for 11polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 4 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. We analyzed paired samples of blood and food duplicate portions collected in the 1980s (1980 survey, N = 40 ) and the mid-1990s (1995 survey, N = 40 ) from females (five participants from each of eight sites per survey) living throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The study populations in the 1980 and 1995 surveys were different but had lived in the same community. We measured PCBs and PBDEs in serum and PCBs in diet. Total serum PCBs (ng/g lipid) [geometric mean (geometric standard deviation)] were similar in the 1980 [163.0 (1.7)] and the 1995 [142.6 (2.0)] surveys. In contrast, dietary intake (ng/day) between 1980 and 1995 decreased significantly, from 522.8 (2.5) to 165.9 (3.3), respectively, ( P < 0.05 ). We classified the participants by birth year—before 1941 (older generation) and equal to or after 1941 (younger generation). Serum PCB levels decreased significantly in the younger generation, from 179.1 (1.8) in the 1980 survey to 115.4 (2.0) in the 1995 survey ( P