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Chemosphere Jan 2022Evidence of associations of pre- and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with cognitive development beyond early childhood is inconsistent. A previous...
Evidence of associations of pre- and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with cognitive development beyond early childhood is inconsistent. A previous report from this cohort observed adverse associations between early life PCB exposures and infant Bayley scores at age 16 months. The present study examines pre- and postnatal PCB exposures in relation to both behavior and cognitive development at age 45 months. Participants were 472 mother-child pairs residing in an area of eastern Slovakia characterized by environmental contamination with PCBs, which resulted in elevated blood serum concentrations. PCB-153 and PCB-118 concentrations were measured in maternal and in infant 6-, 16-, and 45-month serum samples. At age 45 months, children were administered five subtests of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III), and mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Negative binomial and multiple linear regressions were used to estimate PCB-CBCL and PCB-WPPSI-III subtest score associations, respectively. Pre- and postnatal levels of PCB-153 and PCB-118 were not associated with cognitive performance on the WPPSI-III in this cohort. There was some suggestion that higher postnatal PCB concentrations were associated with more sleep problems and feelings of depression and anxiousness.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Cognition; Cohort Studies; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Female; Humans; Infant; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Slovakia
PubMed: 34597632
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132375 -
Surgery Jan 2021The incidence of primary hyperparathyroidism has increased 300% in the United States in the past 30 years, and secondary hyperparathyroidism is almost universal in...
BACKGROUND
The incidence of primary hyperparathyroidism has increased 300% in the United States in the past 30 years, and secondary hyperparathyroidism is almost universal in patients with end-stage renal disease. We assessed the presence of environmental chemicals in human hyperplastic parathyroid tumors as possible contributing factors to this increase.
METHODS
Cryopreserved hyperplastic parathyroid tumors and normal human parathyroids were analyzed by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, and biostatistics.
RESULTS
Detected environmental chemicals included polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane derivatives, and other insecticides. A total of 99% had p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene. More than 50% contained other environmental chemicals, and many classified as endocrine disruptors. Polychlorinated biphenyl-28 and polychlorinated biphenyl-49 levels correlated positively with parathyroid tumor mass. Polybrominated diphenyl ether-47 concentrations in tumors were inversely correlated with patients' serum calcium levels. Cellular metabolites in pathways of purine and pyrimidine synthesis and mitochondrial energy production were associated with tumor growth and with p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene in primary hyperparathyroidism tumors. In normal parathyroids, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene , polychlorinated biphenyl-28, polychlorinated biphenyl-74, and polychlorinated biphenyl-153, but not p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene or polychlorinated biphenyl-49, were detected.
CONCLUSION
Environmental chemicals are present in human parathyroid tumors and warrant detailed epidemiologic and mechanistic studies to test for causal links to the growth of human parathyroid tumors.
Topics: Causality; Endocrine Disruptors; Environmental Pollutants; Female; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Glands; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Parathyroidectomy; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Retrospective Studies; United States
PubMed: 32771296
DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2020.06.010 -
Environmental Research Mar 2023Assessing health outcomes associated with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is important given their persistent and ubiquitous nature. PCBs are classified as... (Review)
Review
Assessing health outcomes associated with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is important given their persistent and ubiquitous nature. PCBs are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, but the full range of potential noncancer health effects from exposure to PCBs has not been systematically summarized and evaluated. We used systematic review methods to identify and screen the literature using combined manual review and machine learning approaches. A protocol was developed that describes the literature search strategy and Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) criteria used to facilitate subsequent screening and categorization of literature into a systematic evidence map of PCB exposure and noncancer health endpoints across 15 organs/systems. A comprehensive literature search yielded 62,599 records. After electronic prioritization steps, 17,037 studies were manually screened at the title and abstract level. An additional 900 studies identified by experts or supplemental searches were also included. After full-text screening of 3889 references, 1586 studies met the PECO criteria. Relevant study details such as the endpoints assessed, exposure duration, and species were extracted into literature summary tables. This review compiles and organizes the human and mammalian studies from these tables into an evidence map for noncancer health endpoints and PCB mixture exposure to identify areas of robust research as well as areas of uncertainty that would benefit from future investigation. Summary data are available online as interactive visuals with downloadable metadata. Sufficient research is available to inform PCB hazard assessments for most organs/systems, but the amount of data to inform associations with specific endpoints differs. Furthermore, despite many years of research, sparse data exist for inhalation and dermal exposures, which are highly relevant human exposure routes. This evidence map provides a foundation for future systematic reviews and noncancer hazard assessments of PCB mixtures and for strategic planning of research to inform areas of greater uncertainty.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Carcinogens; Mammals; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Uncertainty
PubMed: 36580985
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115148 -
Chemosphere Nov 2022Fish absorb dioxins from the environment through water and contact with sediments but the main source is food. These contaminants also enter the human body with food,...
Fish absorb dioxins from the environment through water and contact with sediments but the main source is food. These contaminants also enter the human body with food, including through the consumption of fish. This study presents the dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in 145 samples of four fish species (herring, sprat, sea trout, salmon) caught in the southern Baltic Sea. The study results permit assessing whether the efforts made in recent years to reduce dioxin and PCB emissions into the environment have translated into decreases in concentrations of these pollutants in Baltic Sea fishes and whether these raw fish materials meet food law requirements. The safest fish species with regard to dioxins were designated, as were those of which consumption should be limited. The influence of fish age (length) and weight on dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (dl-PCB) concentrations was investigated. The correlation between fat content and dioxin concentration was determined. The Baltic Sea region and fishing ports from which the least contaminated fish come were also determined. The studies indicated that dioxin and PCB concentrationsin fishes from Polish fishing areas are currently lower than they were twenty years ago.
Topics: Animals; Benzofurans; Dioxins; Fishes; Humans; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 35810860
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135614 -
International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2022Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls were measured in the surface sediments of Liangshui River, the second largest drainage...
Occurrence and Source Identification of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Surface Sediments from Liangshui River in Beijing, China.
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls were measured in the surface sediments of Liangshui River, the second largest drainage river in Beijing, China. The sum concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls ranged from 3.5 to 3019 (mean value: 184) pg g dry weight and from 319 to 5949 (mean value: 1958) pg g dry weight, and the corresponding World Health Organization toxic equivalent quantity values were 0.0011-5.1 pg TEQ g dry weight and 0.0074-1.4 pg TEQ g dry weight, respectively. The spatial distributions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls showed increasing trends from urban area and development area to suburb. Principal component analysis revealed that polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans contamination in the sediments may originate from pentachlorophenol and sodium pentachlorophenate and municipal solid waste incineration. Regarding polychlorinated biphenyls, the steel industry, combustion processes and usage of some commercial polychlorinated biphenyl products were identified as the major sources. The emission from a former steel plant could be the main contributor to polychlorinated biphenyls in urban areas. The mean value of the total toxic equivalent quantities in the sediment samples exceeded the Canadian interim sediment quality guidelines. Long-term wastewater irrigation increases the load of sediment-bound pollutants in agricultural soil and may pose potential ecological risks to crops and human health.
Topics: Humans; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Beijing; Dibenzofurans; Rivers; Benzofurans; Geologic Sediments; Canada; China
PubMed: 36554346
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416465 -
Clinical Breast Cancer Feb 2020The incidence of breast cancer across the world has been on the rise in recent decades. Because identified risk factors can only explain a relatively small portion of... (Review)
Review
The incidence of breast cancer across the world has been on the rise in recent decades. Because identified risk factors can only explain a relatively small portion of the cases, environmental exposure to organic pollutants is suspected to play a role in breast cancer etiology. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the most abundant pollutants, and the impact of their exposure on breast cancer risk has been extensively studied in recent decades. However, the results of most epidemiologic studies do not support an association between PCB exposure and breast cancer risk. We hypothesized that the effects of PCBs on breast cancer might have been undervalued for reasons such as insufficient recognition of the confounding effects of several factors and lack of attention on the innate heterogeneity of PCB mixtures or breast cancer. After reviewing the evidence in the existing literature, we concluded that early life exposure, known risk factors of breast cancer, and impact of exposure to other pollutants are the main sources of confounding effects and have potentially masked the associations between PCBs and breast cancer. Because PCBs are mixtures of congeners with varied properties, and because breast cancers of different subtypes are etiologically distinct diseases, the absence of stratified subgroup analysis on individual PCBs and patients with specific biological subtypes and insufficient attention paid to the results of these subgroup analyses may result in an underestimation of the correlations between PCBs and breast cancer. In future studies, these factors must be taken into consideration when exploring the effect of PCB exposure on breast cancer risk.
Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; Endocrine Disruptors; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Female; Global Burden of Disease; Humans; Incidence; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Risk Factors; Time Factors
PubMed: 31521536
DOI: 10.1016/j.clbc.2019.07.005 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Jun 2018In recent years, microbial degradation and bioremediation approaches of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been studied extensively considering their toxicity,...
In recent years, microbial degradation and bioremediation approaches of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been studied extensively considering their toxicity, carcinogenicity and persistency potential in the environment. In this direction, different catabolic enzymes have been identified and reported for biodegradation of different PCB congeners along with optimization of biological processes. A genome analysis of PCB-degrading bacteria has led in an improved understanding of their metabolic potential and adaptation to stressful conditions. However, many stones in this area are left unturned. For example, the role and diversity of uncultivable microbes in PCB degradation are still not fully understood. Improved knowledge and understanding on this front will open up new avenues for improved bioremediation technologies which will bring economic, environmental and societal benefits. This article highlights on recent advances in bioremediation of PCBs in soil. It is demonstrated that bioremediation is the most effective and innovative technology which includes biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and rhizoremediation and acts as a model solution for pollution abatement. More recently, transgenic plants and genetically modified microorganisms have proved to be revolutionary in the bioremediation of PCBs. Additionally, other important aspects such as pretreatment using chemical/physical agents for enhanced biodegradation are also addressed. Efforts have been made to identify challenges, research gaps and necessary approaches which in future, can be harnessed for successful use of bioremediation under field conditions. Emphases have been given on the quality/efficiency of bioremediation technology and its related cost which determines its ultimate acceptability.
Topics: Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Plants, Genetically Modified; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Soil; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 28488147
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8995-4 -
Environmental Research Apr 2022Indoor spaces contain several classes of persistent organic chemicals, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),...
Indoor spaces contain several classes of persistent organic chemicals, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). However, concentrations of PFAS and persistent chemical mixtures and their associations with building characteristics on college campuses are understudied. We collected dust from 43 nonresidential spaces on four U.S. college campuses in 2016 and evaluated associations of room characteristics (carpeting, upholstered furniture, and years since last furnished) with dust concentrations of PFAS, PBDEs, PCBs, and OCPs. Nine PFAS, twelve PBDEs, two PCBs, and four OCPs were each detected in at least 75% of the spaces, including several chemicals (e.g., DDT) that have been banned for decades. Concentrations were correlated within and, in some cases, between chemical classes. Wall-to-wall carpeting (compared to rooms without wall-to-wall carpeting) was associated with higher concentrations of six individual PFAS and a mixture of PFAS, and the number of pieces of upholstered furniture was associated with increased concentrations of a mixture of PBDEs. These findings indicate that carpeting and furniture are current sources of PFAS and PBDEs, respectively. Building and finish materials should be carefully selected to avoid exposure to persistent chemicals.
Topics: Dust; Environmental Pollutants; Fluorocarbons; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Pesticides; Polychlorinated Biphenyls
PubMed: 34902383
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112530 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Feb 2016Nineteen polychlorinated biphenyls (chiral or C-PCBs) exist as two stable rotational isomers (atropisomers) that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other.... (Review)
Review
Nineteen polychlorinated biphenyls (chiral or C-PCBs) exist as two stable rotational isomers (atropisomers) that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. C-PCBs are released into the environment as racemic (i.e., equal) mixtures of both atropisomers and undergo atropisomeric enrichment due to biological, but not abiotic, processes. In particular, toxicokinetic studies provide important initial insights into atropselective processes involved in the disposition (i.e., absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion) of C-PCBs. The toxicokinetic of C-PCBs is highly congener and species dependent. In particular, at lower trophic levels, abiotic processes play a predominant role in C-PCB toxicokinetics. Biotransformation plays an important role in the elimination of C-PCBs in mammals. The elimination of C-PCB follows the approximate order mammals > birds > amphibians > fish, mostly due to a corresponding decrease in metabolic capacity. A few studies have shown differences in the toxicokinetics of C-PCB atropisomers; however, more work is needed to understand the toxicokinetics of C-PCBs and the underlying biological processes. Such studies will not only contribute to our understanding of the fate of C-PCBs in aquatic and terrestrial food webs but also facilitate our understanding of human exposures to C-PCBs.
Topics: Animals; Biotransformation; Food Chain; Humans; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Species Specificity; Stereoisomerism; Toxicokinetics
PubMed: 25824003
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4383-0 -
Environmental Science & Technology Feb 2022We measured the concentrations of 837 hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs, in 275 chromatographic peaks) and 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, in 174...
We measured the concentrations of 837 hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs, in 275 chromatographic peaks) and 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, in 174 chromatographic peaks) in sediments from New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts, Altavista wastewater lagoon in Virginia, and the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal in Indiana, USA and in the original commercial PCB mixtures Aroclors 1016, 1242, 1248, and 1254. We used the correlation between homologues and the peak responses to quantify the full suite of OH-PCBs including those without authentic standards available. We found that OH-PCB levels are approximately 0.4% of the PCB levels in sediments and less than 0.0025% in Aroclors. The OH-PCB congener distributions of sediments are different from those of Aroclors and are different according to sites. We also identified a previously unknown compound, 4-OH-PCB52, which together with 4'-OH-PCB18 made up almost 30% of the OH-PCBs in New Bedford Harbor sediments but less than 1.2% in the Aroclors and 3.3% in any other sediments. This indicates site-specific environmental transformations of PCBs to OH-PCBs. We conclude that the majority of OH-PCBs in these sediments are generated in the environment. Our findings suggest that these toxic breakdown products of PCBs are prevalent in PCB-contaminated sediments and present an emerging concern for humans and ecosystems.
Topics: Aroclors; Ecosystem; Environmental Pollutants; Humans; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Wastewater
PubMed: 35107261
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04780