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. 2019 Jun 19;16(12):2178.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16122178.

Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins, Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans, and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Umbilical Cord Serum from Pregnant Women Living Near a Chemical Plant in Tianjin, China

Dezhong Yu  1 , Xiaofang Liu  2   3 , Xiao Liu  4 , Wencheng Cao  5 , Xiaotian Zhang  6 , Haoyuan Tian  7 , Jin Wang  8 , Nan Xiong  9 , Sheng Wen  10 , Yongning Wu  11 , Xin Sun  12 , Yan Zhou  13
Affiliations

Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins, Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans, and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Umbilical Cord Serum from Pregnant Women Living Near a Chemical Plant in Tianjin, China

Dezhong Yu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) are bioaccumulative compounds that may affect fetal growth and infant development. The aim of this study was to determine whether the pregnant women living near a chemical plant in Tianjin had a risk of exposure to dioxins. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in 24 umbilical cord serum samples collected from pregnant women were measured using a high-resolution gas chromatograph with a high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRGC-HRMS) and an isotopic dilution method. The levels of ∑(PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs) were in the range 476-8307 pg·g-1 lipid, with a mean of 3037 pg·g-1. The mean World Health Organization toxicity equivalent (WHO-TEQ) for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs was 14.0 and 2.14 pg·g-1 lipid, respectively. The PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs contributed 86.7% and 13.3%, respectively, to the total TEQ. The octa-CDFs and penta-CBs were predominant for the PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, accounting for 57.6% and 74.3%, respectively. Several PCDD/F and dl-PCB congeners were highly correlated, such as PCB 105 and PCB 118 (r = 0.982, p < 0.001). Although the results hint at decreasing trends for PCDD/F and dl-PCBs by comparison with a similar study in Tianjin, a total TEQ of 41.7% of study participants had a body burden that exceeded the biomonitoring equivalents for dioxins. It was shown that pregnant women and infants had a health risk of exposure to dioxins.

Keywords: PCDD/Fs; chemical plant; dl-PCBs; exposure risk; umbilical cord serum.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PCDD/F congener profiles in cord serum samples.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of different PCDD/F congener groups in cord serum samples.
Figure 3
Figure 3
dl-PCB congener profiles in cord serum samples.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of different dl-PCB congener groups in the cord serum samples.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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