title: Residual congener pattern of dioxins in human breast milk in southern Vietnam.
abstract: This study evaluated residual congener patterns of dioxin/furan (=PCDD/DF) related to tactical herbicides aerially sprayed over the regions of southern Vietnam through Operation Ranch Hand. The study focused on Cam Chinh (CC) commune, Quang Tri province (an area sprayed with tactical herbicides), and the Cam Phuc (CP) commune, Ha Tinh province (a non-sprayed area). Breast milk samples for analysis were collected in September 2002 and July 2003 from lactating primiparous and multiparous mothers born after the war (<31 years old). We found the levels of each congener in the CC commune were higher than in the CP commune, and determined specificity in the PCDD/DF congener pattern in CC commune samples by cluster analysis. The congener pattern is characterized by higher (the hexa-, the hepta-, and the octa-) chlorinated PCDD/DFs; this appears to be the same profile as that presented by pentachlorophenol (PCP), rather than 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy acid (2,4,5-T) contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDD. A GC/MS study in the 1970s detected the chlorophenols 2,4-di and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in some Agent Orange samples, which contained, like PCP, a wide variety of PCDD/DF congeners. In this context, it may be expected that certain tactical herbicides contaminated with various chlorophenol impurities, have a unique congener pattern when compared with pure 2,4,5-T formulations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, 1-1 Daigaku, Uchinada-machi, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tawara
authors.forename: Muneko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishijo
authors.forename: Shoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruzeni
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Teruhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naganuma
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Dang Duc
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Nhu
authors.forename: Nguyen Ngoc
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Le Thi Hong
authors.initials: le TH
authors.lastname: Thom
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D014744:Vietnam; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins