title: Thyroid hormones are associated with exposure to persistent organic pollutants in aging residents of upper Hudson River communities.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and thyroid hormones in an aging population. Forty-eight women and 66 men, aged 55-74 years and living in upper Hudson River communities completed a questionnaire and provided blood specimens. Serum was analyzed for thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH), free (fT4) and total thyroxine (T4), total triiodothyronine (T3), and for POPs. POPs included 39 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD), and nine polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) determined by high-resolution gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry detection (HRGC-HRMS). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between thyroid hormones and sums of POPs, adjusted for covariates and stratified by sex. Effects were expressed as differences in thyroid hormone levels associated with a doubling in the level of exposure. Among women, DDT+DDE increased T4 by 0.34μg/dL (P=0.04) and T3 by 2.78ng/dL (P=0.05). Also in women, sums of PCBs in conjunction with PBDEs elicited increases of 24.39-80.85ng/dL T3 (P<0.05), and sums of PCBs in conjunction with DDT+DDE elicited increases of 0.18-0.31μg/dL T4 (P<0.05). For men estrogenic PCBs were associated with a 19.82ng/dL T3 decrease (P=0.003), and the sum of estrogenic PCBs in conjunction with DDT+DDE elicited an 18.02ng/dL T3 decrease (P=0.04). Given age-related declines in physiologic reserve, the influence of POPs on thyroid hormones in aging populations may have clinical implications and merits further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA. Electronic address: mbloom@albany.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA; Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Jansing
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA; Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kurunthachalam
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rej
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany, State University of New York, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Edward F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009518:New York; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood; D045483:Rivers; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013972:Thyrotropin; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D013974:Thyroxine
keywords: Aging; Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE); Persistent organic pollutants (POPs); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Thyroid hormones