Table 2.
Summaries of Recent Epidemiologic Studies of Human Exposures to PCBs
| Health effect/outcome | Levels of Exposure | Outcome | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer/Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | PCBs and other organochlorines | PCBs 156,180, and 194 associated with increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | De Roos et al. 2005 |
| Cancer/Prostate cancer | 30 PCBs and 18 organochlorine pesticide | PCB 180 were associated with an increase of risk of prostate cancer | Ritchie et al. 2003 |
| Cancer/PSA levels | PCBs and other POPs (Chlordane, DDE) | In cases with PCB 153 > than the median concentration among controls, the OR=3.15 (95% CL =1.04–9.54) | Hardell et al. 2006 |
| Cancer/prostate | 30 PCB congeners in serum | Odds of high exposure group > twice that of lowest exposure group | Ritchie et al. 2005 |
| Cancer/Prostate cancer | Both high exposure to electromagnetic fields and PCBs | No association after adjusting for confounders | Charles et al. 2003 |
| Cancer/Testicular/Seminoma | 38 PCB congeners, DDT, hexachlorobenzene, chlordanes | PCBs yielded odds ratio 3.8, 95% CL, 1.4–10 among case mothers | Hardell et al. 2003 |
| Cancer/Testicular Cancer | 37 PCBs exposure | The concentrations of PCBs are higher in mothers to patients with testicular cancer | Hardell et al. 2004 |
| Developmental/Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) | 2.8 μg/L serum total PCBs; mothers in 3rd trimester | The mean of mother’s serum PCB concentrations not related to the adjusted odds of SNHL | Longnecker et al. 2004 |
| Developmental Natal and neonatal teeth | TEQ 11.9 pg/g fat PCDD/F TEQ 7.24 pg/g fat |
No association | Alaluusua et al. 2002 |
| Developmental | PCBs (138, 153, 180) Dioxin-like compounds |
Doubling of serum PCB 153 and dioxin-like chemicals significantly affected sexual maturation clarify | Den Hond et al. 2002 |
| Developmental | X | In Polish cohort of this study, PCB-153 correlated negatively with the portion of y-bearing fraction of spermatozoa | Rignell-hydbom et al. 2006 |
| Developmental | French cohort | At birth, Cryptorchidism associated with higher prenatal exposure to PCBs. | Brucker-Davis et al. 2008 |
| Developmental/Age at menarche in offspring | PCBs and DDTs. Retrospective cohort study for two generations | No association with maternal PCB exposure | Vasiliu et al. 2004 |
| Developmental/Gingival health by standard dental indices and enamel by FDI index | Children living near industrial area contaminated with PCBs | Enamel defects in deciduous teeth significantly high in higher exposed children (Chi (2) = 8.35; p=0.03). For permanent teeth with any enamel defects (Chi (2) 7.237; p=0.027). The extent of enamel defects is significantly greater in high PCB exposure group (Chi (2) 10.714; p=0.005) |
Jan et al. 2007 |
| Developmental/Menses attainment | 16 PCB congeners | PCBs levels are significant predictors of menarcheal status | Denham et al. 2005 |
| Developmental/Visual function | Breastfed for 4 month and examined at12 month of age | P100 with latency evoked potentials (VEPs) at 60 min. related to PCB 180 (r= −0.504) | Riva et al. 2004 |
| Developmental/Dental enamel | Concentration of PBCs in diet/ | Enamel development defects were found in 71.3% exposed vs. 49.5% control | Jan and Vrbic 2000 |
| Developmental/Hormone levels and sexual differentation | Prenatal exposure to PCBs. Umbilical cord specimens were collected. | 20 boys with cryptochidism; oOther 58 with spermaturia. | Mol et al. 2002 |
| Endocrine/type 2 diabetes mellitus | POPs | OR=1.6; 95% CL 1.0–2.7 associated with an increase of CB-153 of 100 ng/g lipid; | Rignell-hydbom et al. 2007 |
| Endocrine/type 2 diabetes mellitus | PCBs exposure | Positive linear association of PCB levels with diabetes at the time of enrolment in women | Vasiliu et al. 2006. |
| Endocrine/thyroid | Retrospective study | Anti-GAD was 4 times higher than that of all controls | Langer 2002 |
| Endocrine/Testosterone and estradiol | PCBs concentrations 149 ng/g in blood and 177 ng/g in milk | Testosterone and estradiol levels were less in babies with high PCB concentrations | Cao et al. 2008 |
| Endocrine/Thyroid and growth hormones | 118 pregnant women (ages 25–34 years); Placental and cord blood samples. 12 dioxin-like PCBs | Significant negative associations between FT4, TSH and the increase of non-ortho PCBs (r=−0.2; p<0.05) | Wang et al. 2005 |
| Endocrine/Diabetes mellitus | PCBs 153 | PCB 153 significantly associated with diabetes (an increase of 100 ng/g lipid corresponded to OR =1.16 95% CL 1.03–1.32, p=(0.03) | Rylander et al. 2005 |
| Endocrine/Diabetes mellitus | Cross-sectional study. | OR = 2.1 (95% CL 1.1–4.5) for women. Women with chloracne OR= 5.5 (95% CL 2.3–13.4) for diabetes |
Wang et al. 2008 |
| Endocrine/Diabetes mellitus | PCB congeners, and chlorinated pesticides | The prevalence of diabetes was 20.2%. The OR of having diabetes for participants in the highest tertile of total PCB concentration compared with the lowest tertile was 3.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.5–10.6). | Cordru et al. 2007 |
| Endocrine/Diabetes mellitus/Insulin sensitivity | 12 PCB congeners exposure | PCBs (123,126 and 169) were significant associated with insulin activity (r = −0.34, p < 0.05) | Chen et al. 2008 |
| Endocrine/type 2 diabetes | Persistent organic pollutants (POPs); 19 POPs in 5 subclasses | Association observed between HOMA-IR and two nondioxin-like PCBs | Lee et al. 2006, 2007 |
| Immunological/Antibodies for tetanus and diphtheria toxoids | Two cohorts from Faroe Islands, mother serum (during pregnancy) and milk PCB levels were analyzed. Antibodies for tetanus and diphtheria were measured. |
For each doubling of PCBs serum conc, Ab for diphtheria toxoid decreased by 24.4% at age 18 months (95% CL, 1.63–41.9; p=0.04). Ab for tetanus toxoid decreased by 16.5% at age 7 y (95% CL, 1.51–29.3; p=0.03) |
Heilmann et al. 2006 |
| Immunological/rheumatoid arthritis | Cross-sectional study, 1721; 20y or more of age; dioxin and non- dioxin- like PCBs | Ors 1.0, 2.1, 3.5, and 2.9 across quartiles of DL PCBs. ODs for non dioxin-like PCBs quartiles are 1.0, 1.6, 2.6, and 2.5.P for trends =0.02. Men: no clear association | Lee DH, 2007 |
| Immunological/thymus atrophy | 15 PCB congeners in neonates? | Smaller thymus | Park et al. 2008 |
| Metabolism/Enzyme biomarker/ | PCBs exposures via food (serum PCB concentrations) | Positive association with the serum levels of 9 PCB congeners | Fitzgerald et al. 2005 |
| Musculoskeletal | This is part of the study of Swedish fisherman’s wives | No association found between PCB-153 and OH-PCBs and bone mineral density or biochemical markers of bone metabolism | Weiss et al. 2006 |
| Musculoskeletal/Bone mineral density (BMD) | Swedish fishermen and their wives | After adjustment for age and body mass index, the significant negative relationship between PCB-153 and BMD was not valid anymore | Wallin et al. 2005 |
| Musculoskeletal/Bone mineral density (BMD) | 5 dioxin-like PCBs and 3 non-dioxin- like PCBs blood levels. | Male odds ratio negatively associated with BMD 1.6 (95% CL, 1.01–1.2) per 10 pg/ml CB-118 | Hodgson et al. 2008 |
| Musculoskeletal/Bone mineral density | Persistent organochlorines (PCBs, DDT) | PCBs do not cause (were not associated with?) significant effects on bone density | Glyn et al. 2000 |
| Neurological/Neurodegenerative diseases. | PCB levels of workers were about 10 times higher than the PCB levels in community | Overall no significant effects (SMR= 1.40, 1.11, and 1.26, respectively. Women’s amyotropic lateral (SMR = 2.26; 95% CL = 1.08–4.15) | Steenland et al.2006 |
| Reproductive/Time to menopause | Halogenated biphenyl (PCBs, PBB) blood samples | No association with either PCBs or PBB | Blanck et al., 2004 |