title: Assessment of human exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Japan using archived samples from the early 1980s and mid-1990s.
abstract: 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<0.05). However, in the older generation, serum levels (ng/g lipid) did not change: 150.4 (1.6) in the 1980 survey and 180 (1.8) in the 1995 survey. Total PBDE serum levels (ng/g lipid) increased significantly during the 15 years, from 0.5 (3.5) to 1.8 (3.7) (P<0.05). At the Shimane site, PBDE serum levels (ng/g lipid) increased 20-fold, from 1.3 (4.8) to 26.0 (5.0). The serum levels of PCBs decreased in the younger generation but not in the older, although levels in daily intakes decreased significantly. Exposure levels of PBDEs appear to be increasing in an area-specific manner.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoecho, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. koizumi@pbh.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshinaga
authors.forename: Kouji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muroi
authors.forename: Sumiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eslami
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujimine
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hachiya
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koda
authors.forename: Yukinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kusaka
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakatsuka
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omae
authors.forename: Norimitsu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimbo
authors.forename: Katsunobu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Todoriki
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D010647:Phenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls