Diabetes in Relation to Serum Levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Chlorinated Pesticides in Adult Native Americans

Abstract

BackgroundRecent research suggests that diabetes, a condition whose incidence is increasing, is associated with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides.ObjectivesWe investigated the potential association between diabetes and serum levels of PCBs, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and mirex in a cross-sectional study of an adult Native-American (Mohawk) population.MethodsThrough a standardized questionnaire we collected demographic, medical, and lifestyle information from 352 adults, ≥30 years of age. We collected fasting serum samples that were analyzed for 101 PCB congeners, DDE, HCB, and mirex along with fasting glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Participants who had fasting-glucose values > 125 mg/dL and/or who were taking antidiabetic medication were defined as persons with diabetes. We conducted logistic regression to assess the potential association between organochlorine serum levels and diabetes, while controlling for the potential confounding variables of age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, sex, and serum lipid levels. Organochlorine serum levels were categorized in tertiles, and the lowest tertile was used as the reference category.ResultsThe prevalence of diabetes was 20.2%. The odds ratio (OR) of having diabetes for participants in the highest tertile of total PCB concentration compared with the lowest tertile was 3.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.5–10.6). The corresponding ORs for DDE and HCB were even higher. Elevated serum mirex was not associated with diabetes. After adjustment for other analytes, the OR for HCB remained significant, whereas ORs for PCBs and DDE remained elevated but not statistically significant. In contrast, after adjustment for other analytes, the OR for mirex became statistically significant and indicated an inverse association.ConclusionsIn this study of adult Native Americans, elevated serum PCBs, DDE, and HCB were positively associated with diabetes after controlling for potential confounders, whereas a negative association was observed for mirex.

Exposure to organochlorine pesticides is independent risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma: A case–control study

“…This supports that, although they are not independent of each other, p, p 0 -DDE and p, p 0 -DDT are independently interacted with HBVand PAH. DDT exposure had been linked to diabetes and the related effects in animals and epidemiological studies (Codru et al, 2007;Ruzzin et al, 2010); this may help to explain the positive correlation between p, p 0 -DDT and diabetes mellitus in this study. Different from p, p 0 -DDT, a negative interaction between b-HCH and diabetes mellitus was observed; it is unclear if this is due to the different mechanism on diabetes compared with p, p 0 -DDT.…”

Exposure to organochlorine pesticides is an independent risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma: A case–control study

“…This supports that, although they are not independent of each other, p,p 0 -DDE and p,p 0 -DDT independently interacted with HBVand PAH. DDT exposure had been linked to diabetes and the related effects in animals and epidemiological studies (Codru et al, 2007;Ruzzin et al, 2010); this may help to explain the positive correlation between p,p 0 -DDT and diabetes mellitus in this study. Contrary to p,p 0 -DDT, a negative interaction between b-HCH and diabetes mellitus was observed; it is unclear whether this is due to the different mechanism on diabetes compared with p,p 0 -DDT.…”

High prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in a population exposed to high levels of an organochlorine cocktail

“…However, in only few studies was diabetes diagnosed with the aid of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (≥126 mg/dl [7.0 mmol/l]), HbA 1c (>6.1%) [9] or random glucose level (≥200 mg/dl=11.1 mmol/l) [11][12][13]. Our study was conducted within the PCBRISK project in an area of Eastern Slovakia that has been subjected to heavy industrial and agricultural pollution for nearly four decades.…”