title: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Human Hair and Serum from E-Waste Recycling Workers in Southern China: Concentrations, Chiral Signatures, Correlations, and Source Identification.
abstract: Hair is increasingly used as a biomarker for human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, the internal and external sources of hair POPs remain a controversial issue. This study analyzed polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human hair and serum from electronic waste recycling workers. The median concentrations were 894 ng/g and 2868 ng/g lipid in hair and serum, respectively. The PCB concentrations in male and female serum were similar, while concentrations in male hair were significantly lower than in female hair. Significant correlations between the hair and serum PCB levels and congener profiles suggest that air is the predominant PCB source in hair and that hair and blood PCB levels are largely dependent on recent accumulation. The PCB95, 132, and 183 chiral signatures in serum were significantly nonracemic, with mean enantiomer fractions (EFs) of 0.440-0.693. Nevertheless, the hair EFs were essentially racemic (mean EFs = 0.495-0.503). Source apportionment using the Chemical Mass Balance model also indicated primary external PCB sources in human hair from the study area. Air, blood, and indoor dust are responsible for, on average, 64.2%, 27.2%, and 8.79% of the hair PCBs, respectively. This study evidenced that hair is a reliable matrix for monitoring human POP exposure.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection , Guangzhou 510655, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection , Guangzhou 510655, China.|State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Le-Huan
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: She-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection , Guangzhou 510655, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Cheng
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Ke-Hui
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection , Guangzhou 510655, China.
authors.forename: Sukun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection , Guangzhou 510655, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Jiang
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Yi
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Bi-Xian
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Mai
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D059029:Electronic Waste; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D059027:Recycling
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls