title: Demographic, behavioral, dietary, and socioeconomic characteristics related to persistent organic pollutants and mercury levels in pregnant women in Japan.
abstract: Persistent organic pollutants and mercury are known environmental chemicals that have been found to be ubiquitous in not only the environment but also in humans, including women of reproductive age. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between personal lifestyle characteristics and environmental chemical levels during the perinatal period in the general Japanese population. This study targeted 322 pregnant women enrolled in the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health. Each participant completed a self-administered questionnaire and a food-frequency questionnaire to obtain relevant information on parental demographic, behavioral, dietary, and socioeconomic characteristics. In total, 58 non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, 17 dibenzo-p-dioxins and -dibenzofuran, and 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls congeners, perfluorooctane sulfonate, perfluorooctanoic acid, and mercury were measured in maternal samples taken during the perinatal period. Linear regression models were constructed against potential related factors for each chemical concentration. Most concentrations of environmental chemicals were correlated with the presence of other environmental chemicals, especially in the case of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -dibezofurans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls which had similar exposure sources and persistence in the body. Maternal smoking and alcohol habits, fish and beef intake and household income were significantly associated with concentrations of environmental chemicals. These results suggest that different lifestyle patterns relate to varying exposure to environmental chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, North 12 West 7 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan. Electronic address: miyasita@med.hokudai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, North 15 West 7 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. Electronic address: sasakis@med.hokudai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan. Electronic address: y-saijo@asahikawa-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saijo
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, North 15 West 7 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. Electronic address: ekat_oka@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Emiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, North 15 West 7 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. Electronic address: sukobayashi@cehs.hokudai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Sumitaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, North 15 West 7 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. Electronic address: baba.toshiaki@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.affiliation: Fukuoka Institute of Health and Environmental Sciences, Mukaizano 39, Dazaifu 818-0135, Japan. Electronic address: kajiwara@fihes.pref.fukuoka.jp.
authors.forename: Jumboku
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. Electronic address: todaka@dream.ocn.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Todaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8501, Japan. Electronic address: iwasaki@hoshi.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8501, Japan. Electronic address: hironakazawa@jcom.home.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, National Institute for Minamata Disease, 4058-18 Hama, Kumamoto 867-0008, Japan. Electronic address: hachiya@nimd.go.jp.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hachiya
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan. Electronic address: nimdyasutake@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasutake
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Akita University, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita 010-8543, Japan. Electronic address: winestem@med.akita-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, North 12 West 7 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan. Electronic address: rkishi@med.hokudai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kishi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001519:Behavior; D003710:Demography; D004032:Diet; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Biomarkers; Mercury; POPs; Persistent organic pollutants; Pregnant women