Dioxin and PCB levels in blood and human milk in relation to living areas in the Netherlands

Abstract

Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous toxic compounds in the environment. Negative influences of these compounds on the health status of human beings have been described. Especially susceptible might be the fetus, which is exposed in utero, and the newborn breast-fed infant, since both are exposed to relatively high levels of dioxins and PCBs during a critical period of organ growth and development. We investigated PCB levels in 406 maternal plasma samples as well as PCB and dioxin levels in 172 human milk samples with relation to living area of women living for at least five years in the western industrialized part of the Netherlands or the northern more rural part. The western part was further subdivided into one urban and two highly industrialized areas. After correction for covariates, we found significantly higher levels of PCB 118 in maternal plasma as well as significantly higher levels of the dioxin-TEQ and of ten individual dioxin and PCB congener levels in human milk in the western more industrialized areas of the Netherlands compared to the northern more rural part. We did not find significant differences in planar, mono-ortho or di-ortho PCB-TEQ levels in human milk between all different areas. We conclude that significantly higher levels of a number of dioxin and PCB congeners are found in women living in industrialized areas compared to women living in rural areas in the Netherlands.

Blood dendritic cells in cattle infected with bovine leukemia virus (BLV): isolation and phenotyping

“…The dose of PCB104 used in in vitro studies promoting an increase in the microvascular permeability and the transmigration of breast cancer cells following PCB104 treatment ranged from 2-15 μM, which corresponds to 650-4860 ng/ml. Such high concentrations of total PCBs (3-6 μM) were detected in human blood plasma in industrialized areas of the Netherlands and in the Aland/Turku Archipelago (Koopman-Esseboom et al 1994, Hagmar et al 1998.…”

Persistent hematologic and immunologic disturbances in 8-year-old Dutch children associated with perinatal dioxin exposure.

“…These are exclusively dioxins and furans. The exposure is equivalent to the background exposures in The Netherlands in general during that period (Koopman-Esseboom et al 1994;van den Berg et al 1986;WHO 1989WHO , 1996. Later (childhood) dioxin exposures are about 25 times less than during the fetal and breast-feeding period, and it can safely be assumed that all the subjects had similar childhood exposures because they all had similar diets (Patandin et al 1999).…”

ortho-Substituted Polychlorinated Biphenyls Alter Microsomal Calcium Transport by Direct Interaction with Ryanodine Receptors of Mammalian Brain

“…The high lipophilicity and chemical stability of PCBs have further resulted in widespread environmental contamination, and there is significant evidence of PCBs accumulation in biota (9). PCBs are found in extracts of virtually all environmental samples as well as in human tissue and breast milk (10,11).Among the HAHs various congeners differentially confer ability to bind to a cytosolic receptor, the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR). 2,3,7, binds to the receptor with the highest affinity and confers the highest potency to induce certain toxic responses, such as wasting syndrome, immunosuppression, and teratogenicity.…”

“…The high lipophilicity and chemical stability of PCBs have further resulted in widespread environmental contamination, and there is significant evidence of PCBs accumulation in biota (9). PCBs are found in extracts of virtually all environmental samples as well as in human tissue and breast milk (10,11).…”