PCB body burdens in Belgium women before and after the contamination crisis early in 1999
| PCB 138 (ng/g fat) | PCB 153 (ng/g fat) | PCB 180 (ng/g fat) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Correction for age was performed through linear extrapolation based on the measurements done in 1999. This linear extrapolation can be expected to underestimate the body burden at age 31.9 years, as it is likely that a proportionally greater increase in body burden with age will occur between age 17.4 and age 31.9 than between age 31.9 and age 58.5. The real age corrected increase between the two periods might thus be higher than the one shown in the table. | |||
| 1996–1998 | |||
| 106 infertile women (aged 24–42) (mean age 31.9)9 | 69.9 | 94.5 | 72.0 |
| Second half of 1999 | |||
| 120 girls (mean age 17.4)10 | 75.9 | 101.6 | 55.5 |
| 197 women aged 50–65 (mean age 58.5)10 | 125.4 | 171.1 | 123.1 |
| Body burden increase in 1999, after correction for age*, as percentage of the body burden found during 1996–1998 in infertile women | 33.6 | 33.5 | 10.2 |