title: Gender dependent accumulation of dioxins in smokers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the contribution of tobacco smoking to dioxin accumulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dioxin (17 PCDD/F) concentrations in fasting blood from 251 subjects (161 never smokers, 54 past smokers, and 36 current smokers) were quantified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whereas serum dioxin concentrations of male smokers were on average 40% higher than those of non-smokers, in women, smoking was associated with significantly lower serum dioxin levels. A synergistic potentiation of dioxin metabolism by tobacco smoke in women is postulated to explain these paradoxical findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current smoking is associated with gender dependent effects on dioxin body burden and is a potential source of confounding in human studies using blood dioxins as indicators of exposure.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Toxicology and Occupational Medicine, School of Public Health, Université catholique de Louvain, 30.54 Clos-Chapelle-aux-Champs, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fierens
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eppe
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Pauw
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001822:Body Burden; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D004147:Dioxins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D004147:Dioxins