Profile of PCDD/F levels in serum of general Taiwanese between different gender, age and smoking status

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 337; no. 1; pp. 31 - 43
• Main Authors: Chen, Hsiu-Ling, Liao, Pao-Chi, Su, Huey-Jen, Guo, Yue-Liang, Chen, Chia-Hui, Lee, Ching-Chang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 20.01.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Benzofurans - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental Monitoring - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Pollutants - blood; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender; General aspects; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; PCDD/Fs; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - blood; Principal Component Analysis; Profile; Serum; Sex Factors; Smoke; Smoking - blood; Taiwan; Taiwanese; Taiwan; Taiwanese; Serum; Gender; Smoke; PCDD/Fs; Profile; Status; Dioxin derivatives; Sex; Persistent organic pollutant; Chlorine Organic compounds; Age; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.06.021

Polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are persistent organic pollutants that are resistant to environmental and biological degradation and disperse into various environmental compartments throughout the atmosphere, water, soil, sediments, and food. Many factors, such as age, sex, lifestyle, and metabolism, can explain the distribution of serum levels after humans exposed to PCDD/Fs. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate the PCDD/Fs distribution and profile of the general population in northern Taiwan. All selected subjects were between 18 and 65 years old and proportionally chosen from five age groups based on population distribution of each district or county. Higher serum PCDD/F levels were found in the elder than in the young, and in females than in males. In addition, nonsmokers and passive smokers showed higher levels of PCDD/Fs than active smokers. The serum concentrations of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; and 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD in some subjects seemed to increase with their age, which might have been caused by the longer half-lives of these substances. In future studies, more information about food consumption, occupational exposure, open-combustion, and other potential factors needs to be collected to clarify the most important factors affecting the distribution of serum PCDD/Fs in the general population in Taiwan.