Menstruation and reproduction in women with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) poisoning: long-term follow-up interviews of the women from the Taiwan Yucheng cohort.
BACKGROUND
In 1979 in Taiwan, about 2000 people were poisoned by cooking oil contaminated with heat-degraded polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Victims developed chloracne and other symptoms; the illness is called Yucheng (oil disease). The chemicals persist in the victims' bodies and some are toxic to the female reproductive system in experimental animals.


METHODS
In 1993-1994, we identified the living Yucheng women and neighbourhood controls and interviewed them about their reproductive experience. Of the 596 living Yucheng women aged 30-59 years, we found 368, and interviewed 356. We identified 329 controls, and interviewed 312.


RESULTS
Of the Yucheng women, 16% reported abnormal menstrual bleeding compared to 8% (P < 0.05) of control women; 4.2% versus 1.7% reported a stillbirth since 1979 (P = 0.068). Other characteristics of the menses, fertility, frequency of intercourse, and age at menopause appeared unaffected. More of the Yucheng women reported that one of their offspring had died during childhood (10.2% versus 6.1%, P < 0. 05), and that they had decided to limit childbearing because of health problems (7% versus 2%, P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that high level PCB/polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) exposure has some effect on female endocrine and reproductive function.
Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan.
M L
ML
Yu
Y L
YL
Guo
C C
CC
Hsu
W J
WJ
Rogan
D000328:Adult; D003296:Cooking; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008598:Menstruation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010938:Plant Oils; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000506:poisoning*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D010938:Plant Oils; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls