Table 3.
Serum concentrations of detected substances before and after surgery. Detection rates and concentrations [expressed in median (percentile 25th—percentile 75th)] are included, in parts per billion (ng/mL) and, in the case of POPs, in ng/g lw.
| Before surgery (n = 56)1 | After surgery (n = 52)2 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detection rate [N, (%)] |
Concentration (ppb) |
Concentration (ng/g lw) |
Detection rate [N, (%)] |
Concentration (ppb) |
Concentration (ng/g lw) |
P value# | P value† | |
| p,p’-DDD | 1 (1.8) | 0.16 | 24.2 | 0 | — | — | NA | NA |
| p,p´-DDE | 39 (69.6) | 1.1 (0.4 – 3.8) | 210.3 (68.0 – 534.1) | 50 (96.2)*** | 2.1 (1.0 – 9.0) | 476.0 (180.5 – 1365.9) | 0.009 | 0.003 |
| p,p´-DDT | 2 (3.6) | 1.2 (1.1 – 1.3) | 176.3 (156.6 – 195.9) | 0 | — | — | NA | NA |
| HCB | 3 (5.4) | 0.60 (0.3 – 0.9) | 76.8 (41.5 – 136.9) | 23 (44.2)*** | 0.56 (0.4 – 1.1) | 79.9 (65.3 – 208.7) | 0.688 | 0.316 |
| β-HCH | 5 (8.9) | 0.85 (0.3 – 1.1) | 128.2 (37.3 – 146.3) | 27 (51.9)*** | 0.56 (0.3 – 1.4) | 96.1 (67.0 – 231.9) | 0.736 | 0.421 |
| Naphthalene | 0 | — | — | 37 (71.2)*** | 1.0 (0.9 – 1.1) | 178.8 (155.7 – 228.1) | NA | NA |
| PCB-138 | 9 (16.1) | 0.13 (0.1 – 0.2) | 19.8 (17.7 – 23.4) | 39 (75.0)*** | 0.21 (0.2 – 0.3) | 35.2 (26.2 – 53.7) | 0.002 | <0.001 |
| PCB-153 | 6 (10.7) | 0.17 (0.1 – 0.2) | 23.4 (17.6 – 32.6) | 32 (61.5)*** | 0.27 (0.2 – 0.4) | 44.3 (32.4 – 65.5) | 0.020 | 0.003 |
| PCB-180 | 6 (10.7) | 0.13 (0.1 – 0.2) | 19.5 (17.9 – 22.6) | 38 (73.1)*** | 0.26 (0.2 – 0.4) | 43.8 (29.9 – 65.6) | 0.012 | 0.001 |
| Phenanthrene | 2 (3.6) | 0.63 (0.5 – 0.8) | 103.5 (83.5 – 123.5) | 35 (67.3)*** | 0.37 (0.3 – 0.5) | 62.3 (46.9 – 87.1) | 0.075 | 0.093 |
| 2-Phenylphenol | 8 (14.3) | 1.2 (0.2 – 2.0) | 30 (57.7)*** | 0.36 (0.8 – 8.6) | 0.029 | |||
| Fenitrothion | 0 | — | 22 (42.3)*** | 2.0 (1.7 – 2.4) | NA | |||
| Flucythrinate I | 0 | — | 2 (3.8) | 0.24 (0.2 – 0.3) | NA | |||
| Flucythrinate II | 0 | — | 6 (11.5)* | 0.16 (0.1 – 0.2) | NA | |||
| Carbofuran | 2 (3.6) | 1.8 (0.3 – 3.2) | 0 | — | NA | |||
| Acetaminophen | 24 (42.9) | 3.9 (3.0 — 15.1) | 17 (32.7) | 9.9 (7.4 – 18.4) | 0.024 | |||
| Diclofenac | 1 (1.8) | 3.7 | 1 (1.9) | 2.5 | 0.317 | |||
| Ketoprophen | 0 | — | 3 (5.8) | 16.9 (7.4 – 30.9) | NA | |||
| Levamisole | 1 (1.8) | 172.4 | 3 (5.8) | 11.9 (1.9 – 16.4) | 0.180 | |||
| Naproxen^ | 4 (7.1) | 5.9 (1.4 – 12.1) | 3 (5.8) | 0.65 (0.03 – 4.0) | 0.157 | |||
POPs, persistent organic pollutants; NA, not applicable.
1No serum samples for three patients.
2No serum samples for seven patients.
*Comparison between detection rates before and after surgery (Chi-squared test). *** P < 0.001; * P < 0.05.
Comparison of serum concentrations of substances (ppb) before and after surgery (Mann-Whitney U test).
†Comparison of serum concentrations of substances (ng/g lw) before and after surgery (Mann-Whitney U test).
^Concentration expressed in mg/mL.