Pentachlorophenol and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyl metabolites in umbilical cord plasma of neonates from coastal populations in Québec.

Abstract

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hydroxylated metabolites of PCBs (HO-PCBs) and octachlorostyrene (4-HO-HpCS), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were determined in umbilical cord plasma samples from three different regions of Québec. The regions studied included two coastal areas where exposure to PCBs is high because of marine-food-based diets--Nunavik (Inuit people) and the Lower North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (subsistence fishermen)--and a southern Québec urban center where PCB exposure is at background levels (Québec City). The main chlorinated phenolic compound in all regions was PCP. Concentrations of PCP were not significantly different among regions (geometric mean concentration 1,670 pg/g, range 628-7,680 pg/g wet weight in plasma). The ratio of PCP to polychlorinated biphenyl congener number 153 (CB153) concentration ranged from 0.72 to 42.3. Sum HO-PCB (sigma HO-PCBs) concentrations were different among regions, with geometric mean concentrations of 553 (range 238-1,750), 286 (103-788), and 234 (147-464) pg/g wet weight plasma for the Lower North Shore, Nunavik, and the southern Québec groups, respectively. Lower North Shore samples also had the highest geometric mean concentration of sum PCBs (sum of 49 congeners; sigma PCBs), 2,710 (525-7,720) pg/g wet weight plasma. sigma PCB concentrations for Nunavik samples and southern samples were 1,510 (309-6,230) and 843 (290-1,650) pg/g wet weight plasma. Concentrations (log transformed) of sigma HO-PCBs and sigma PCBs were significantly correlated (r = 0.62, p < 0.001), as were concentrations of all major individual HO-PCB congeners and individual PCB congeners. In Nunavik and Lower North Shore samples, free thyroxine (T4) concentrations (log transformed) were negatively correlated with the sum of quantitated chlorinated phenolic compounds (sum PCP and sigma HO-PCBs; r = -0.47, p = 0.01, n = 20) and were not correlated with any PCB congeners or sigma PCBs. This suggests that PCP and HO-PCBs are possibly altering thyroid hormone status in newborns, which could lead to neurodevelopmental effects in infants. Further studies are needed to examine the effects of chlorinated phenolic compounds on thyroid hormone status in newborns.

Human prenatal and postnatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorobiphenylols, and pentachlorophenol.

“…The similar congener pattern was previously reported in other studies from Sweden (Bergman et al 1994;Sjödin et al 2000), Faroe Islands (Fängström Environmental Medicine | Guvenius et al 1238 VOLUME 111 | NUMBER 9 | July 2003 • Environmental Health Perspectives PCBs (ng/g lipids) et al 2002), and Canada (Sandau et al 2000(Sandau et al , 2002. A somewhat different pattern of OH-PCB congeners was reported in blood from Latvian men (Sjödin et al 2000), where 4-OH-CB107 occurred at the highest levels.…”

“…The OH-PCB levels in cord blood plasma correlated well to those in maternal blood plasma (r = 0.60, p < 0.05) and constituted 62% of the levels in maternal blood plasma. The concentrations of OH-PCB congeners in cord blood plasma were lower than the previously reported levels in cord blood plasma from coastal populations in Quebec, whereas the PCP levels were similar (Sandau et al 2002). It is evident from the present study that exposure to PCP and OH-PCBs is only slightly higher in the mother than in the fetus.…”

“…Several PBDE congeners, OH-PBDEs, and OH-PCBs have shown estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities in experimental studies (Connor et al 1997;Fielden et al 1997;Meerts et al 2001). So far, only one study has reported the occurrence of one OH-PBDE congener (6-OH-BDE47) in human blood (Hovander et al 2002), whereas several OH-PCBs have been identified in blood plasma (Bergman et al 1994;Fängström et al 2002;Hovander et al 2002;Sandau et al 2000;Sjödin et al 2000), and in liver and adipose tissue samples (Meironyté Guvenius et al 2002).…”

Iodotyrosine Deiodinase, a Novel Target of Environmental Halogenated Chemicals for Disruption of the Thyroid Hormone System in Mammals

“…They have been detected in wildlife and human serum, breast milk, and adipose tissue at levels of the order of pg-ng/g lipid, and are considered to be accumulated due to their lipophilicity. [13][14][15][16] Laboratory animals exposed to PCBs and PBDEs develop lesions in thyroid follicular cells, with decreased levels of circulating serum thyroid hormones. 17,18) PCBs and PBDEs exert neurotoxic effects on e-mail: r-shimi@ps.hirokoku-u.ac.jp…”

Sonophotocatalysis of endocrine-disrupting chemicals

“…Its extensive use and persistence have resulted in significant environmental contamination and potential exposure of the general population. Due to its highly persistent nature, PCP is still one of the dominant phenolic compounds in blood (Sandau et al, 2002). Recently, it was demonstrated that PCP was resistant for sulfonation, which is an important pathway in the biotransformation of a wide range of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics, in polar bears (Sacco and James, 2005).…”