Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in the blood, subcutaneous adipose tissue and stool of Yusho patients and normal subjects

Abstract

An effective therapy which assists the elimination of the residual chlorinated compounds in Yusho patients has still not been established. To determine the behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in patients 20 years since the occurrence of Yusho disease, the concentrations of PCBs and PCDFs in the blood, subcutaneous adipose tissue and stools were investigated in six patients with typical symptoms of Yusho disease. The daily excretion levels of 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PnCDF), and 1,2,3,4,7,8-and 1,2,3,6,7,8-hexachlorodibenzofurans (HxCDFs) into the stools of Yusho patients were 200 to 1380pg, and 190 to 1590pg, respectively. Similarly, PCBs were excreted at levels of 320 to 1370 ng per day, into the stools. The amounts of PnCDF and HxCDFs excreted into the stool per day was correlated to the levels of those chemicals in the blood and subcutaneous adipose tissue. The daily levels of PnCDF and HxCDFs excreted into the stool were comparable with those in one gram of subcutaneous adipose tissue. The amounts of these chemicals excreted into the stools of six patients were considerably higher than those of three normal controls. The relationships among PCBs levels in blood, subcutaneous adipose tissue and stool were similar to those described above for PnCDF and HxCDFs, but were not clear.

Feasibility Study of Feces for Noninvasive Biomonitoring of Brominated Flame Retardants in Toddlers

“…Surprisingly few studies have explored feces as a noninvasive matrix for biomonitoring. Several studies in adults of dietary absorption, body concentrations, and fecal elimination of polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) have shown that digestive absorption of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) is dependent on dietary intake, whereas fecal excretion is independent of dietary intake but dependent on body burden. − This was postulated to be due to a two-stage process, called the “fat-flush” theory, whereby dietary lipids are first absorbed from the small intestine lumen into gut tissue, leading to subsequent reduction in gut tissue HOC concentrations. This change in chemical gradient then facilitates diffusion of HOCs from the small intestine lumen into the tissue and further distribution to the body’s fat reservoirs. − When the lumen contents later reach the large intestine, the process is reversed and excretion of lipids from the body into the feces leads to a concentration gradient favoring diffusion of HOCs from the tissues into the feces.…”

Effect of Chlorophyllin-Chitosan on Excretion of Dioxins in a Healthy Man

“…This suggests that the chl-chitosan was able to reduce the amount of dioxins stored in the body. Such a reduction is usually seen only when the intake is relatively small (60,(67)(68)(69)(70)(71).…”

Assessing body burden of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in infants/toddlers through analysis of faeces

“…A range of POPs has been found in faeces in previous studies dating back to the 1990s from Yusho patients (Iida et al, 1992). Following that, faecal POPs have been mainly measured in breast-fed infants where selected POPs were analysed in their faeces for calculating chemical absorption percentages against the ingested amount of POPs via breast milk (Jödicke et al, 1992;Korner et al, 1993;McLachlan, 1993;Abraham et al, 1996b).…”

“…Cb, itself, also serve as an important indicator of human body burden of POPs (Price et al, 1972;Iida et al, 1992;Rohde et al, 1999;Wolff and Anderson, 1999;Park et al, 2007;Stapleton et al, 2009). As outlined above, it is typically assumed that POPs are in passive pharmacokinetics equilibrium between different lipid compartments such as those of blood and adipose reservoir of the individuals.…”

“…It is typically assumed that POPs are in passive toxicokinetic equilibrium between different lipid compartments such as those of blood and adipose reservoir of the individuals (Haddad et al 2000). Hence, Cb is one essential variable for the exposure-response analyses of POPs in toxicological studies (Price et al, 1972;Iida et al, 1992;Rohde et al, 1999;Wolff and Anderson, 1999;Park et al, 2007;Stapleton et al, 2009). However, there is a lack of adequate Cb data during potentially vulnerable developmental windows, including infancy, mainly due to the logistical and ethical constraints regarding sampling blood in infants and toddlers .…”