Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in the general population in Finland

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.01.064

Chemosphere

Volume 60, Issue 7, August 2005, Pages 854-869

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.01.064 Get rights and content

Abstract

We measured adipose tissue concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 420 general Finns living in southern Finland. The mean (median) concentrations of WHO_PCDD/F-TEQ and WHO_PCB-TEQ were 29.0 (24.1) and 20.7 (16.7) pg g⁻¹ fat, respectively. The concentrations clearly correlated with age. Expressing the concentrations as a function of subject’s ages revealed that the exposure of Finns has declined over the last 30 years. A downward gradient was found in the concentrations from the Baltic Sea coast to inland areas in Finland, and this was assessed to be due to consumption of the Baltic Sea fish, especially Baltic herring. Linear regression models for natural logarithm WHO_PCDD/F-TEQ, natural logarithm WHO_PCB-TEQ, and natural logarithm WHO_total-TEQ, explained 70%, 69%, and 72% of the variability, respectively. Age, lactation, place of residence, and fish consumption frequencies were significant predictors in the models.

Introduction

The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the general adult Finnish population. The source of PCDD/Fs and PCBs is food, especially food of animal origin. In Finland, most of human exposure can be traced to consumption of fish, especially fatty Baltic Sea fish (Kiviranta et al., 2001). Therefore in this study we paid special attention to the fish consumption habits of our subjects.

A decreasing gradient of PCDD/F and PCB concentrations from the Baltic Sea coast to inland areas has been described in mothers’ milk samples, which were collected during the late 1980s (Vartiainen et al., 1997). The purpose of this study was to investigate if a similar decreasing concentration gradient could be seen in the average population body burdens. An exposure model would be a valuable tool in epidemiological studies to assess the exposure to PCDD/Fs and PCBs. The development of such a model would mean that the exposure of the population, even at the individual level, could be assessed, without actually measuring concentrations with expensive and time-consuming methods. We assessed linear regression models for toxic equivalents of PCDD/Fs (WHO_PCDD/F-TEQ), PCBs (WHO_PCB-TEQ), and the sum of these two parameters (WHO_total-TEQ). The models were also validated with concentration results of a reference population comparable to the original study population.

Section snippets

Subjects

PCDD/Fs and PCBs were determined from appendicitis patients who were chosen as controls in our case-control study of soft tissue sarcoma in 1997–1999 (Tuomisto et al., 2004). The concentrations were measured from a total of 420 subjects. The place of residence of all but three subjects, was southern Finland. They were operated in university, central, district or municipality hospitals in Espoo, Helsinki, Hyvinkää, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kotka, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Pori, Seinäjoki, Tampere,

Demographics and fish consumption

The average age of all study subjects was 44 years; in the groups classified by age the average ages were 32 (32 median) and 58 (55 median) years, respectively. The average age of the inland area group was higher than in the other groups (Table 1). There was no age difference between men and women.

The average BMI of all study subjects was 26 (25 median) kg m⁻² with the BMI being significantly higher in the older population. There was no geographical difference in the BMI. With respect to all

Demographics and fish consumption

With respect to their BMI values and fish consumption habits, the subjects in this study represented the general Finnish population. The mean and median BMI were similar to BMIs measured in the recent Finnish adult health study (Helakorpi et al., 2003) in which the proportion of subjects with BMI exceeding 25 kg m⁻² was 50%. Also the higher BMI in young men versus women was reported in that study (Helakorpi et al., 2003). The proportions of subjects who had consumed fish at least once in the

Conclusion

We found that the body burdens of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in Finland were at the same levels as other countries in Europe, and there existed a downward trend in concentrations from coastal to inland areas. This decreasing trend in concentrations was most likely a result from consumption of more contaminated fish from the Baltic Sea in the coastal area compared to the inland area. The age dependence of concentrations was shown to be strong. Concentrations as a function of age also revealed that the

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the surgeons and the personnel in hospitals for collecting the samples, Mr. Sami Penttinen for managing the study process in hospitals, Mr. Pekka Tiittanen for statistical counseling, and personnel in KTL for their valuable technical assistance. Dr. Ewen MacDonald checked the English language of the manuscript. The study was supported by European Commission, Contracts: ENV-CT96-0336 and QLK4-1999-01446, and by Academy of Finland, Grant number: 52876.

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Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in the general population in Finland

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Subjects

Demographics and fish consumption

Demographics and fish consumption

Conclusion

Acknowledgement

Chemosphere

Chemosphere

Food Chem. Toxicol.

Environ Res Sec A

Chemosphere

Chemosphere

Chemosphere

Chemosphere

Chemosphere

Sci. Total Environ.

Chemosphere

Time course of PCDD/PCDF/PCB concentrations in breast-feeding mothers and their infants

Chemosphere

Concentrations of organochlorines in human brain, liver, and adipose tissue autopsy samples from Greenland

Environ Health Perspect

Consumption of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea and PCB in whole venous blood, plasma and cord blood from delivering women in the Åland/Turku archipelago

J. Toxicol. Environ. Health

Time trends in sport-caught Great Lakes fish consumption and serum polychlorinated biphenyl levels among Michigan anglers, 1973–1993

Environ. Sci. Technol.