Organochlorine concentrations in breast milk and prevalence of allergic disorders in Japanese women

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2011-10, Vol.85 (3), p.374-378
• Main Authors: Miyake, Yoshihiro, Tanaka, Keiko, Masuzaki, Yuko, Sato, Nobuyuki, Ikeda, Yoshirou, Chisaki, Youichi, Arakawa, Masashi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; adults; Allergic disorders; Applied sciences; asthma; Asthma - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; breast milk; childhood; children; community health; Conjunctivitis, Allergic - epidemiology; cross-sectional studies; DDE (pesticide); Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - analysis; eczema; Eczema - epidemiology; education; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Exact sciences and technology; Female; HCH (pesticide); Hexachlorobenzene; Hexachlorobenzene - analysis; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated - analysis; hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Japan; Japanese; Lindane - analysis; lipids; Medical sciences; Milk, Human - chemistry; p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene; pollutants; Pollution; Prevalence; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; smoke; surveys; trans-nonachlordane; Women; β-hexachlorocyclohexane
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.07.001

► Study subjects were 124 Japanese women. ► We assessed levels of β-HCH, HCB, p,p′-DDE, and trans-nonachlordane in breast milk. ► Outcomes were wheeze, asthma, eczema, and rhinoconjunctivitis. ► All exposures were not related to the prevalence of any of the allergic disorders. Persistent organic pollutants have been shown to have immunomodulating effects in humans. However, epidemiological evidence regarding the relationships between organochlorine compound exposure and allergic disorders coming from studies of children has been limited and inconsistent. The current cross-sectional study examined the associations between the concentrations of β-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and trans-nonachlordane in breast milk and the prevalence of allergic disorders in 124 adult Japanese women. The definition of wheeze and asthma was based on criteria from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey whereas that of eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis was based on criteria from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Adjustment was made for age, smoking, family history of allergic disorders, and education. The prevalence values of wheeze, asthma, eczema, and rhinoconjunctivitis in the past 12months were 9.7%, 4.8%, 13.7%, and 29.8%, respectively. The median concentrations of β-HCH, HCB, p,p′-DDE, and trans-nonachlordane in breast milk were 28.3, 7.0, 71.6, and 23.9ngg−1 lipid, respectively (range, 4.5–253, 2.1–14.5, 7.5–362, and 1.8–130ngg−1 lipid, respectively). When the exposures were treated as continuous variables, no significant associations were found between concentrations of HCB, β-HCH, p,p′-DDE, or trans-nonachlordane and the prevalence of wheeze, asthma, eczema, or rhinoconjunctivitis. Our results suggest that concentrations of β-HCH, HCB, p,p′-DDE, and trans-nonachlordane in breast milk are not evidently associated with the prevalence of wheeze, asthma, eczema, or rhinoconjunctivitis in young female Japanese adults.