Skip to main content
PMC home page
Environmental Health Perspectives logoLink to Environmental Health Perspectives
. 2002 Apr;110(4):355–361. doi: 10.1289/ehp.02110355

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in fishermen in Finland.

Hannu Kiviranta 1, Terttu Vartiainen 1, Jouko Tuomisto 1
PMCID: PMC1240798  PMID: 11940453

Abstract

We measured plasma concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fishermen from the Finnish Baltic Sea area and fishermen fishing in inland lakes. The concentrations clearly correlated with the frequency of fish meals and consumption of Baltic fatty fish. The body burden of PCDD/Fs reached the median level of 170 pg/g toxic equivalents (I-TEq) in fat for Baltic Sea fishermen, with the maximum being 420 pg/g. Results for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (range = 4.9-110 pg/g fat) showed that lifetime exposure in a population consuming much Baltic fatty fish can reach the levels of exposures seen in Seveso, Italy, in 1976. After we summed the PCB-TEqs, the total median exposure of Baltic Sea fishermen increased to 290 pg/g TEq in fat, and the highest concentration was 880 pg/g. There was a noted individual variation in fishermen's PCDD/F congener patterns, and it was possible to associate this variation with congener patterns of PCDD/Fs in the fish species that the fisherman reported they had consumed. Linear regression models for ln WHO(PCDD/F)-TEq, ln WHO(PCB)-TEq, and ln total WHO-TEq, from the World Health Organization, explained 48%, 60%, and 53% of the variability, respectively. Age was the only significant predictor of ln WHO(PCDD/F)-TEq, whereas age, amount of fish eaten, and place of residence were significant predictors of ln WHO(PCB)-TEq, and ln total WHO-TEq.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1,005.5 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Asplund L., Svensson B. G., Nilsson A., Eriksson U., Jansson B., Jensen S., Wideqvist U., Skerfving S. Polychlorinated biphenyls, 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (p,p'-DDT) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE) in human plasma related to fish consumption. Arch Environ Health. 1994 Nov-Dec;49(6):477–486. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1994.9955004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ayotte P., Dewailly E., Ryan J. J., Bruneau S., Lebel G. PCBs and dioxin-like compounds in plasma of adult Inuit living in Nunavik (Arctic Quebec). Chemosphere. 1997 Mar-Apr;34(5-7):1459–1468. doi: 10.1016/s0045-6535(97)00442-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hallikainen A., Vartiainen T. Food control surveys of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and intake estimates. Food Addit Contam. 1997 May-Jun;14(4):355–366. doi: 10.1080/02652039709374538. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Kiviranta H., Hallikainen A., Ovaskainen M. L., Kumpulainen J., Vartiainen T. Dietary intakes of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls in Finland. Food Addit Contam. 2001 Nov;18(11):945–953. doi: 10.1080/02652030110057134. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kiviranta H., Purkunen R., Vartiainen T. Levels and trends of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in human milk in Finland. Chemosphere. 1999 Jan;38(2):311–323. doi: 10.1016/s0045-6535(98)00192-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kiviranta H., Vartiainen T., Verta M., Tuomisto J. T., Tuomisto J. High fish-specific dioxin concentrations in Finland. Lancet. 2000 May 27;355(9218):1883–1885. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)02296-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Needham L. L., Gerthoux P. M., Patterson D. G., Jr, Brambilla P., Turner W. E., Beretta C., Pirkle J. L., Colombo L., Sampson E. J., Tramacere P. L. Serum dioxin levels in Seveso, Italy, population in 1976. Teratog Carcinog Mutagen. 1997;17(4-5):225–240. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ryan J. J., Dewailly E., Gilman A., Laliberté C., Ayotte P., Rodrigue J. Dioxin-like compounds in fishing people from the Lower North Shore of the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada. Arch Environ Health. 1997 Jul-Aug;52(4):309–316. doi: 10.1080/00039899709602204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sjödin A., Hagmar L., Klasson-Wehler E., Björk J., Bergman A. Influence of the consumption of fatty Baltic Sea fish on plasma levels of halogenated environmental contaminants in Latvian and Swedish men. Environ Health Perspect. 2000 Nov;108(11):1035–1041. doi: 10.1289/ehp.108-1240159. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Svensson B. G., Nilsson A., Hansson M., Rappe C., Akesson B., Skerfving S. Exposure to dioxins and dibenzofurans through the consumption of fish. N Engl J Med. 1991 Jan 3;324(1):8–12. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199101033240102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Svensson B. G., Nilsson A., Jonsson E., Schütz A., Akesson B., Hagmar L. Fish consumption and exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds, mercury, selenium and methylamines among Swedish fishermen. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1995 Apr;21(2):96–105. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.16. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Van den Berg M., Birnbaum L., Bosveld A. T., Brunström B., Cook P., Feeley M., Giesy J. P., Hanberg A., Hasegawa R., Kennedy S. W. Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs for humans and wildlife. Environ Health Perspect. 1998 Dec;106(12):775–792. doi: 10.1289/ehp.98106775. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Environmental Health Perspectives are provided here courtesy of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RESOURCES