title: Exposure to priority organochlorine contaminants in the Italian general population. Part 2: Fifteen priority polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in blood serum.
abstract: Concentrations of 36 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were measured in serum of 372 Italian residents of general population living in Novafeltria, Pavia, and Milan. Total PCB level differed significantly between these sites (p < 0.0001) with median concentrations of 836.50, 1354.57, and 2062.08 pmol/g lipid, respectively. However, there is no evidence for the difference in distribution of total PCB levels by genders. Total dioxin-like PCBs differed significantly (p < 0.0001) between the sites (median 109.78, 50.88, and 166.99 pmol/g lipid, respectively) and genders of Novafeltria and Pavia (p = 0.011 and 0.009, respectively). PCB 138, 153, 170, and 180 differed significantly between the places of residence (p < 0.0001) with higher values in Milan population. In the overall population, total PCB and PCB 138, 153, 156, 170, and 180 correlated positively with age (correlations range between 0.320 and 0.569, p < 0.0001). In Novafeltria, the correlations ranged between 0.545 and 0.670, and in Pavia, the correlations ranged between 0.516 and 0.666. In Milan, correlations with age range between 0.327 and 0.417 for total PCB and congeners 138, 153, and 180. With an exception of PCB 170, there was no evidence of significant difference in the distribution of most abundant PCB congeners and total PCB across the body mass index categories.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mrema
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Rubino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mandic-Rajcevic
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sturchio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osculati
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minoia
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colosio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: DL-PCBs; Human exposure; serum polychlorinated biphenyls; total PCBs