Chemical Analysis of Human Blood for Assessment of Environmental Exposure to Semivolatile Organochlorine Chemical Contaminants

Bristol, Douglas W.; Crist, Howard L.; Lewis, Robert W.; MacLeod, Kathryn E.; Sovocool, G. Wayne

doi:10.1093/jat/6.6.269

Cited by 21 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Venous blood samples were obtained, and blood dieldrin measured using an adaptation of the method of Bristol et al (1987). The coefficient of variation of the assay was estimated to be 10% at 1.2 ng ml" 1 .…”

Section: Sampling Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organochlorine pesticide exposure and uptake following soil treatment of domestic premises

Gun¹,

Pisaniello²,

Tkaczuk³

et al. 1994

International Journal of Environmental Health Research

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Twenty-nine dwellings treated with aldrin, an organochlorine (OC) pesticide, in a standard manner for prevention of termite infestation, were repeatedly sampled over a two-year period for airborne aldrin concentrations. Air sampling was carried out under standardized conditions in an unventilated room. Periodic measurements were also made of blood dieldrin levels of one occupant of each dwelling. In ten of the dwellings there was no detectable airborne aldrin prior to treatment. After treatment aldrin concentration varied from 0.08 to 51 µg m -3 . One week following treatment, six dwellings had levels above 10 µg m -3 ; by six months only two dwellings were above this level.After one year, only one dwelling had an aldrin concentration above this level (27 µg m -3 ) and the concentration in that dwelling was still nearly the same after two years. This dwelling was also sampled three years post-treatment, by which time the concentration had declined to 12 µg m -3 .Statistical analysis of the blood dieldrin levels of the occupants as a group showed (1) an increase in blood dieldrin of borderline statistical significance, (2) a significant correlation with airborne aldrin levels in the respective occupants' homes, and (3) an effect of the aldrin treatment on blood dieldrin levels was detectable above the background influences of diet, physiological variation and laboratory technique. The statistically significant outcomes largely resulted from the data from the two most-heavily contaminated homes, whose occupants experienced a perceptible increase in blood dieldrin following the aldrin treatment, to a plateau of about 10 ng ml -1 after one year, declining after two years to above one-half of that level.The two subjects who showed a clear and sustained increase in blood dieldrin following treatment of their homes were estimated to have experienced uptakes of 54 and 63 mg, equivalent to a mean daily uptake respectively of 1.6 and 1.1 (xg kg" 1 body weight for two years.It is concluded that, even if OC treatment of houses is conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements, it is inevitable that some airborne aldrin will become detectable in the interior of the dwelling. In most cases, the treatment will have no measurable effect on the blood OC levels of the occupants. In the small number of cases where some OC uptake is detectable, the peak levels are likely to be insufficient to cause adverse health effects.

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Section: Sampling Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organochlorine pesticide exposure and uptake following soil treatment of domestic premises

Gun¹,

Pisaniello²,

Tkaczuk³

et al. 1994

International Journal of Environmental Health Research

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“…These studies examined blood counts and liver function tests (NYSDOH 1981), blood level of semivolatiles (Bristol et al 1982), cytogenetic abnormalities and sister chromatid exchange (Heath et al 1984; Picciano 1980), nerve conduction velocity (Barron 1982), rates of drug metabolism (Cuddy et al 1984), cancer incidence (Janerich et al 1981), low birth weight (Goldman et al 1985; Vianna and Polan 1984), congenital malformations (Goldman et al 1985; Paigen 1982), children’s growth rates (Paigen et al 1987), and problems in childhood development (Paigen et al 1985). The results of these studies were largely equivocal or contradictory, and none of the follow-up periods extended beyond 1982.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mortality among Former Love Canal Residents

Gensburg

Pantea

Fitzgerald

et al. 2009

Environ Health Perspect

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BackgroundThe Love Canal is a rectangular 16-acre, 10-ft deep chemical waste landfill situated in a residential neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York. This seriously contaminated site first came to public attention in 1978. No studies have examined mortality in the former residents of the Love Canal neighborhood (LC).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to describe the mortality experience of the former LC residents from the years 1979–1996.MethodsFrom 1978 to 1982, 6,181 former LC residents were interviewed. In 1996, 725 deaths from 1979–1996 were identified in this cohort, using state and national registries. We compared mortality rates with those of New York State (NYS) and Niagara County. Survival analysis examined risks by potential exposure to the landfill.ResultsWe were unable to demonstrate differences in all-cause mortality for either comparison population for 1979 1996. Relative to NYS, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was elevated [SMR = 1.39; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16–1.66] for death from acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but not relative to Niagara County. Death from external causes of injury was also elevated relative to both NYS and Niagara County, especially among women (SMR = 1.95; 95% CI, 1.25 2.90).ConclusionsThe role of exposure to the landfill in explaining these excess risks is not clear given limitations such as multiple comparisons, a qualitative exposure assessment, an incomplete cohort, and no data on deaths prior to 1978. Lack of elevation for AMI when compared with Niagara County but not NYS suggests possible regional differences. However, direct cardiotoxic or neurotoxic effects from landfill chemicals or indirect effects mediated by psychological stress cannot be ruled out. Revisiting the cohort in the future could reveal patterns that are not yet apparent.

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