title: Subjective complaints in persons under chronic low-dose exposure to lower polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been in widespread industrial use in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite a worldwide reduction, environmental exposure remains an issue especially in contaminated buildings. Due to the ubiquitous presence and poor degradation of PCBs, public health concerns continue to exist; however, evidence on the actual health effects of chronic low-dose exposure is scanty. The objective of the present study is an assessment of subjective complaints of exposed subjects in comparison to a non-exposed control group and their inter-relation to plasma levels of PCB congeners. The plasma concentrations of PCB congeners were measured in 583 subjects who had worked for an average of 14.7+/-9.6 years in a contaminated building in Germany, and 205 control subjects working in a non-contaminated building. Subjective complaints were assessed with the 24-item 'Giessen Subjective Complaints List' (GSCL-24). The subjects under chronic low-dose exposure scored significantly higher values on all the GSCL subscales except 'stomach complaints' in comparison to the non-exposed subjects and a 'normal' sample derived from the literature. However, thorough statistical analysis revealed no correlation of symptoms and PCB congener plasma concentration; the scores on the subscale 'exhaustion were even higher in subjects with low PCB concentration. Subjects working in a PCB-contaminated building report more subjective complaints in comparison to non-exposed subjects, but the complaints are not related to current PCB plasma concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schillerstrasse 25 & 29, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. broding@rzmail.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Horst Christoph
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Broding
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schettgen
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hillert
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Angerer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Göen
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Drexler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood*; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls