Prenatal exposures to persistent organic pollutants as measured in cord blood and meconium from three localities of Zhejiang, China.
Prenatal exposures to persistent organic pollutants were assessed using the levels of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) measured in cord blood and meconium samples from Luqiao and two other localities of the Zhejiang province in China. Luqiao is a town with the largest site for disassembly of PCB-containing obsolete transformers and electrical waste in China. The other two localities Pingqiao (100 km NW of Luqiao) and Lin'an (500 km NW of Luqiao) are towns without known electronic or electrical waste sites. A total of 23 PCB congeners (including 12 dioxin-like) and 6 OCPs were measured using the traditional GC-muECD technique. Micro-EROD bioassay was additionally used to measure TCDD-based TEQ levels of the 12 dioxin-like PCBs. Significant correlations were found between the TEQs measured by the two methods, supporting the application of micro-EROD as a practical tool for complementing the chemical analysis. The data showed that beta-HCH, p,p'-DDE, and 6 PCB congeners (101, 138, 153, 180, 183, and 187) were the predominant pollutants, with PCB138 being the best indicator (predictor) for total PCB levels. Cord blood and meconium from Luqiao have higher levels of PCBs than those from the other two localities, suggesting that a disassembly site for electronic and electric waste would provide an environment for greater exposure to these chemicals. The cord blood or meconium levels of beta-HCH, though likewise considerably high, were comparable in the three localities. Similar findings were observed for p,p'-DDE. Pollution by these OCPs might have come from past use of agricultural pesticides in the three localities.
Zhao
Gaofeng
G
State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
Xu
Ying
Y
Li
Wen
W
Han
Guanggen
G
Ling
Bo
B
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002681:China; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008470:Meconium / Q000737:chemistry; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1