Serum polychlorinated biphenyls and leukocyte telomere length in a highly-exposed population: The Anniston Community Health Survey

Abstract

Background Serum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have previously been associated with longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in most, but not all, of the few previous studies. PCBs were produced in Anniston, Alabama from 1929–1971 and participants of the Anniston Community Health Survey (ACHS) were highly exposed. Objectives We evaluated serum levels of 35 PCBs and relative telomere length in 559 ACHS participants. Methods Relative LTL was measured in DNA extracted from blood clots. We assessed PCBs individually, grouped by chlorination, and summed PCBs. We used linear regression to assess the association between each PCB metric while adjusting for pertinent covariates. Results Serum PCBs were associated with longer LTL among white participants and the oldest age group of black participants. Among white participants, compared with those in the first quartile of sum PCBs those in the third quartile of sum PCBs had 8.09% longer relative LTL (95% CI: 1.99; 14.55) and those in the fourth had 7.58% longer relative LTL (95%CI: −0.01; 15.76) (p-quadratic = 0.05). Among African American participants, serum PCBs were associated with longer relative LTL among those over age 64 only. Tests for interaction were not statistically significant. Conclusions We observed a non-linear positive association between serum PCBs and LTL among white participants. Serum PCBs were associated with longer LTL in the oldest age group of African Americans. This association may provide insight into the cancers previously associated with exposure to PCBs, melanoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which have been associated with long LTL in previous studies.

Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Newborn Telomere Length: A Birth Cohort Study in Wuhan, China

“…2016)], persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (Mitro et al. 2016), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Callahan et al. 2017), and benzene (Bassig et al.…”

Pre-conceptional maternal exposure to cyclophosphamide results in modifications of DNA methylation in F1 and F2 mouse oocytes: evidence for transgenerational effects

“…The residents were interviewed and had blood samples taken for serum level measurement of 35 PCB congeners, serum lipids, and DNA isolation. We measured DNA methylation in a subset (n = 518) of the ACHS-I cohort members using DNA from stored frozen blood clot samples [5].…”

“…In 2005, the Anniston Community Health Survey was established to assess the health effects of general population PCB exposure (ACHS-I) with a follow-up study conducted in 2014 (ACHS-II) [1,2]. Previous ACHS-I studies reported associations between PCB exposure and race [1], hypertension [3], blood pressure [4], leukocyte telomere length [5], liver disease [6], metabolic syndrome [7], serum lipid levels [8], and diabetes [9]. Several previous population studies have found associations between PCB or dioxin exposures and altered blood DNA methylation levels in Dutch men [10], Greenlandic Inuits [11], Koreans [12], Faroe Islanders [13] and Japanese [14].…”

Associations between polyfluoroalkyl substance and organophosphate flame retardant exposures and telomere length in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco

“…In addition to studying cancer, researchers have begun to examine associations between exposures to environmental chemicals and biomarkers of effect with potential relevance for cancer, including telomere length (TL) (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). Telomeres are complexes of repetitive DNA sequences and proteins that cap the ends of chromosomes to protect against degradation and fusion during cell division (20,21).…”

“…While the literature on the PFAS and TL relationship seems equivocal, such studies may not be comparable due to underlying differences in study populations, methodological approaches, and other confounding and modifying factors.Our results show that PFAS exposure is associated with telomere lengthening. Previous work has shown that exposure to environmental chemicals is associated with longer TL(16,19,99,100) Mitro et al, 2016. proposed that certain POPs, particularly polychlorinated…”