title: Rapid decline of persistent organochlorine pollutants in serum among young Swedish males.
abstract: To investigate a possible time trend in serum concentrations of persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs), representative samples of the young (median age 18 years) Swedish male population were investigated in the years 2000 and 2004. Due to their low age, these men were assumed not to have reached steady state of body burdens of POPs, why their serum concentrations were considered to represent ongoing dietary exposure. Serum concentrations of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE), two biomarkers of exposure to POPs, were available for 274 and 223 men, respectively, in 2000 and for 200 men in 2004. The percentage of men with CB-153 or p,p'-DDE below the limit of detection (LOD) was significantly higher in 2004 than in 2000 (30% vs. none, p < 0.001 for CB-153 and 65% vs. 6%, p < 0.001 for p,p'-DDE). Moreover, the median serum concentration of CB-153 decreased from 66 ng g(-1) lipid to 19 ng g(-1), corresponding to a yearly decrease of about 26%. The analogous analysis was not done for p,p'-DDE since the median serum concentration in 2004 was below the LOD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden. anna.axmon@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Axmon
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hagmar
authors.forename: Bo A G
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Jönsson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003632:Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D013548:Sweden; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; C005292:perthane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D003632:Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane; C014024:2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl