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Tohyama C, Honda Y. Challenges in health risk assessment of multiple chemical exposures in epidemiological studies. Environ Health Prev Med 2024; 29:6. [PMID: 38325855 PMCID: PMC10898861 DOI: 10.1265/ehpm.23-00312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chiharu Tohyama
- The University of Tokyo
- Health, Environment, Science, and Technology International Consulting
| | - Yasushi Honda
- The National Institute for Environmental Studies
- Univeristy of Tsukuba
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Plaku B, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Korrick SA, Burns JS, Bather JR, Hauser R, Lee MM. Pubertal progression in relation to peripubertal exposure to organochlorine chemicals in a cohort of Russian boys. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 254:114096. [PMID: 37981979 PMCID: PMC10653680 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background Peripubertal concentrations of serum dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have demonstrated associations with altered age of pubertal onset and sexual maturity in boys, but associations with pubertal progression have received less attention. Methods The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort of 516 boys enrolled in 2003-2005 at age 8 or 9 and followed annually up to 19 years of age. Serum concentrations of dioxin-like toxic equivalents (TEQs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and non-dioxin-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs) and whole blood lead levels (BLLs) were quantified from blood samples collected at study entry (age 8-9). Testicular volume (TV) was assessed annually using a Prader orchidometer. Pubertal trajectories were identified by applying Group-Based Trajectory Models (GBTMs) to TV measured from ages 8-19. Associations of peripubertal serum TEQs, PCDDs, PCDFs, and NDL-PCBs with specific progression trajectories were modeled using multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for each boy's birthweight, and for BLL, body mass index and nutritional factors at study entry. Results Among 489 eligible boys with available exposure measures, we identified three pubertal trajectories using GBTMs: slower (34% of boys), moderate (48%) and faster (18%). Boys with higher peripubertal serum TEQs had higher adjusted odds of being in the moderate versus faster trajectory (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.79, 95% CI 1.01, 3.13) and the slower versus faster trajectory (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 0.82, 2.78) per 1 log unit increase in serum TEQs. Boys with higher peripubertal serum PCDFs had higher adjusted odds of being in the moderate compared to the faster trajectory (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.20, 3.03) and of being in the slower versus the faster trajectory (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 0.91, 2.33) per 1 log unit increase. Boys with higher NDL-PCBs had higher adjusted odds of being in the faster trajectory versus the moderate (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 0.91-7.20) or slower (aOR 3.31, 95% CI 1.07, 10.25) trajectory. Boys with higher blood lead levels also had higher adjusted odds of being in the slower trajectory of pubertal progression, compared to either the faster (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 0.89, 2.44) or moderate (aOR 1.20, 95% CI 0.83, 1.75) trajectories, per 1 log unit increase in BLL, although these associations did not attain statistical significance. Conclusion Boys' peripubertal exposure to dioxins and certain PCBs may alter pubertal progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bora Plaku
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Present address: Optum Inc, Eden Prairie, MN 55344)
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Jemar R Bather
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Russ Hauser
- Departments of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Mary M Lee
- Nemours Children's Health, 1600 Rockland Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803; Sidney Kimmel Medical College/Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
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Nowak-Szczepanska N, Gomula A, Sebastjan A, Ignasiak Z, Malina RM, Kozieł S. Blood Lead Level and Handgrip Strength in Preadolescent Polish Schoolchildren. TOXICS 2022; 10:646. [PMID: 36355938 PMCID: PMC9693293 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10110646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Environmental pollutions, particularly toxic elements such as lead, are among the most significant factors affecting the growth and functional development of children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of blood lead levels on handgrip strength (HGS) in urban children resident in the Copper Basin of Lower Silesia, Poland, controlling for the effects of chronological age, body size and socioeconomic status. The study included 165 boys (9−11 years of age) and 79 girls (9−10 years of age) from Polkowice town. Anthropometric measurements involved height, body mass and grip strength of the left and right hands. Maternal education was a proxy for socioeconomic status. Based on the median value of blood lead level (3.10 µg/dL), the two groups-below and above/equal median value-were defined. Analysis of covariance revealed that age (all p < 0.001), sex (at least p < 0.01), BMI (all p < 0.001), and blood lead level (at least p < 0.05) had a significant effect on the three indicators of HGS (right hand, left hand, average), while the level of maternal education did not significantly affect HGS (p > 0.05). The results of this study indicate a potentially negative effect of elevated blood lead level on grip strength in preadolescent children, irrespective of sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Nowak-Szczepanska
- Department of Anthropology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Gomula
- Department of Anthropology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Sebastjan
- Department of Biostructure, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, 51-612 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Zofia Ignasiak
- Department of Biostructure, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, 51-612 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Robert M. Malina
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Sławomir Kozieł
- Department of Anthropology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland
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Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Lee MM, Williams PL, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Plaku-Alakbarova B, Sokolov S, Kovalev S, Koch HM, Lebedev AT, Hauser R, Korrick SA. Associations of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with pubertal onset among a longitudinal cohort of boys. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113218. [PMID: 35390299 PMCID: PMC9310051 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although phthalate exposures have been associated with adverse effects on male reproductive health, few studies have explored longitudinal associations with male pubertal development. OBJECTIVES We examined the association of prepubertal urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites with age at pubertal onset in a prospective cohort of Russian boys. METHODS At enrollment at ages 8-9 years, medical history, dietary, and demographic information was collected. At entry and annually, physical examinations and pubertal staging [Genitalia (G), Pubarche (P), and testicular volume (TV, in ml)] were conducted and spot urines were collected. Prepubertal urine samples (defined as either TV = 1, 2 and G = 1, 2 or TV = 3 and G = 1) were pooled for each boy and phthalate metabolite concentrations were quantified using isotope dilution LC-MS/MS at Moscow State University. We measured 15 metabolites including those from anti-androgenic parent phthalates (AAPs) such as di (2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP) and di-isononyl (DiNP) phthalates as well as monobenzyl (MBzP), mono-n-butyl (MnBP), and mono-isobutyl (MiBP) metabolites. We calculated the molar sums of DEHP (∑DEHP), DiNP (∑DiNP), and AAP (∑AAP) metabolites. Separate interval-censored models were used to assess associations of quartiles of prepubertal phthalate metabolites with each pubertal onset indicator, G2+, P2+ and TV > 3 mL, adjusted for covariates and urine specific gravity. RESULTS 304 boys had 752 prepubertal urine samples (median 2, range: 1-6) for pooling. In adjusted models, higher urinary AAPs were consistently associated with later pubertal onset (P2) with mean shifts ranging from 8.4 to 14.2 months for the highest versus lowest quartiles. Significantly later onset for G2 and TV > 3 mL was observed for higher versus lower quartiles of MiBP, MBzP, ∑DEHP and ∑DiNP. CONCLUSIONS On average, boys with higher concentrations of prepubertal urinary AAPs had later pubertal onset by six months to over a year. The impact of AAPs on timing of male puberty may be attributable to disruption of androgen-dependent biological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, 119992, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Meditsinskaya Str., 3a, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, 446100, Russia
| | - Mary M Lee
- Nemours Children's Health, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, 19803, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 2, Room 443, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge Building, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Bora Plaku-Alakbarova
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Epidemiology Division, Optuminsight Life Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sergey Sokolov
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russian Federation
| | - Sergey Kovalev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russian Federation
| | - Holger M Koch
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
| | - Albert T Lebedev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Russian Federation
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge Building, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 3rd Floor West, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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Williams PL, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Korrick SA, Lee MM, Plaku-Alakbarova B, Burns JS, Smigulina L, Dikov Y, Abou Ghayda R, Hauser R, Sergeyev O. Association of peripubertal blood lead levels with reproductive hormones and semen parameters in a longitudinal cohort of Russian men. Hum Reprod 2022; 37:848-858. [PMID: 35038334 PMCID: PMC8971649 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Are peripubertal blood lead levels (BLLs) associated with semen parameters and serum reproductive hormones among young Russian men? SUMMARY ANSWER We observed a suggestion of lower ejaculate volume with higher peripubertal BLL but no associations of BLLs with reproductive hormones measured throughout adolescence or with other sperm parameters measured at adulthood. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Lead is a known reproductive toxicant and endocrine disruptor. Previous literature has shown associations between high lead exposure and poorer semen quality both in occupationally and environmentally exposed men. However, to our knowledge, no longitudinal studies have explored the association of childhood lead exposure with semen parameters and reproductive hormones in young men. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort study that enrolled 516 boys at age 8-9 years in 2003-2005 and followed them annually for 10 years. BLLs were measured at entry and lifestyle and health questionnaires were completed. Reproductive hormones were measured in blood samples collected every 2 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Among the 516 boys enrolled, 481 had BLLs measured at entry. Of these, 453 had at least one measurement of serum testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or luteinizing hormone (LH) (median = 5 samples per boy) and 223 had semen samples collected ∼10 years after enrolment. Semen assessment included ejaculated volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility and total sperm count, and parameters were categorized using published andrology standards for low semen quality based on sperm count and motility. Linear mixed models were used to examine the associations of log-transformed BLLs (and BLL categories) with reproductive hormones and semen parameters, adjusting for potential confounders. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Among the 223 young men with peripubertal BLLs and at least one semen sample (total samples = 438), the median (interquartile range) BLL was 3 (2, 5) µg/dl and 27% had BLL ≥5 µg/dl. Overall, 49% of the semen samples fell below reference levels for sperm count and/or motility. Men with peripubertal BLL ≥5 µg/dl had significantly lower ejaculated volume than those with BLL <5 µg/dl (mean = 2.42 vs 2.89 ml, P = 0.02), but this difference was attenuated in adjusted models (mean = 2.60 vs 2.83 ml, P = 0.25). No associations were observed between BLL measured at age 8-9 years and reproductive hormone levels or sperm parameters, including sperm concentration, total count, progressive motility and total progressive motile sperm count, or with the probability of having low semen quality based on sperm count/motility. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Only a subset of the original cohort participated in the semen quality portion of the study, although inverse probability weighting was used to account for possible selection bias. BLLs were only measured at a single time in peripuberty, and other exposure time periods, including later or longer-term childhood exposure, may be more predictive of semen quality. The young men were also exposed to other chemical contaminants before and during pubertal development. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS While semen volume often receives less attention than other sperm parameters, it is an important component of male fertility. Additional prospective studies covering different exposure windows and including other seminal plasma biomarkers are warranted to explore our finding of potentially lower ejaculated volume with higher BLLs and to confirm the lack of associations for other semen parameters among youth exposed to environmental BLLs. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Funding was provided through grants R01ES0014370 and P30ES000002 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, grant R82943701 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and grant 18-15-00202 from the Russian Science Foundation (O.S and Y.D.). All authors report no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Nemours Children’s Health, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Bora Plaku-Alakbarova
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luidmila Smigulina
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia
| | - Yury Dikov
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia
| | - Ramy Abou Ghayda
- Urology Institute, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia
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West CN, Schell LM, Gallo MV. Sex differences in the association of measures of sexual maturation to common toxicants: Lead, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDE), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Ann Hum Biol 2022; 48:485-502. [PMID: 35105206 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2021.1998623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Many studies of human toxicant exposure examine the hypothesis that human sexual maturation can be affected through endocrine disruption. Within this body of literature there is significant variation in the findings. Variation may be related to the differential effects by toxicants between males and females as well as variation in sample size, toxicant levels, and the timing of exposure. We review sexual maturation outcomes between males and females when exposed to lead, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using a systematic process to gather peer-reviewed studies published from January 1994 through December 2019 on the NCBI website's PubMed search engine. The review includes 34 studies, some comprised of multiple analyses, to compare effects on sexual maturation by sex. The analysis shows that both boys and girls have delayed sexual maturation in relation to lead exposure. There are differences in the direction of effects associated with DDE/DDT and PCB exposure in boys and girls. PCBs exist as congeners of many structural forms, and that variation is considered in this review. Dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like PCBs exposure directionality differed between boys and girls as well. Future investigations into the basis of sex variation in DDE/DDT and PCB relationships to sexual maturation are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey N West
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Lawrence M Schell
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.,Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Mia V Gallo
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.,Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
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Madhu NR, Sarkar B, Slama P, Jha NK, Ghorai SK, Jana SK, Govindasamy K, Massanyi P, Lukac N, Kumar D, Kalita JC, Kesari KK, Roychoudhury S. Effect of Environmental Stressors, Xenobiotics, and Oxidative Stress on Male Reproductive and Sexual Health. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1391:33-58. [PMID: 36472815 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12966-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This article examines the environmental factor-induced oxidative stress (OS) and their effects on male reproductive and sexual health. There are several factors that induce OS, i.e. radition, metal contamination, xenobiotic compounds, and cigarette smoke and lead to cause toxicity in the cells through metabolic or bioenergetic processes. These environmental factors may produce free radicals and enhance the reactive oxygen species (ROS). Free radicals are molecules that include oxygen and disbalance the amount of electrons that can create major chemical chains in the body and cause oxidation. Oxidative damage to cells may impair male fertility and lead to abnormal embryonic development. Moreover, it does not only cause a vast number of health issues such as ageing, cancer, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and neurodegenerative disorders but also decreases the motility of spermatozoa while increasing sperm DNA damage, impairing sperm mitochondrial membrane lipids and protein kinases. This chapter mainly focuses on the environmental stressors with further discussion on the mechanisms causing congenital impairments due to poor sexual health and transmitting altered signal transduction pathways in male gonadal tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nithar Ranjan Madhu
- Department of Zoology, Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, New Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Bhanumati Sarkar
- Department of Botany, Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, New Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Petr Slama
- Department of Animal Morphology, Physiology and Genetics, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Niraj Kumar Jha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering & Technology (SET), Sharda University, Greater Noida, India
| | | | - Sandip Kumar Jana
- Department of Zoology, Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
| | - Kadirvel Govindasamy
- Animal Production Division, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Umiam, Meghalaya, India
| | - Peter Massanyi
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovak Republic
| | - Norbert Lukac
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovak Republic
| | - Dhruv Kumar
- School of Health Sciences & Technology, UPES University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Jogen C Kalita
- Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, Guwahati, India
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Donangelo CM, Kerr BT, Queirolo EI, Vahter M, Peregalli F, Mañay N, Kordas K. Lead exposure and indices of height and weight in Uruguayan urban school children, considering co-exposure to cadmium and arsenic, sex, iron status and dairy intake. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 195:110799. [PMID: 33508259 PMCID: PMC10916356 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Child growth depends on complex factors including diet, nutritional status, socioeconomic, and sanitary conditions, and exposure to environmental chemicals. Lead exposure is known to impair growth in young children but effects in school-age children are less clear. The effects of co-exposure to low-level lead and other toxic metals on child growth are not well understood. We examined cross-sectional associations of blood lead (BLL) with growth indices (Z scores of body mass index for age, BAZ, and height for age, HAZ) in Uruguayan urban school children (n = 259; ~7 y). Potential differences in these associations in children with lower vs. higher urinary inorganic arsenic metabolites (U-As), urinary cadmium (U-Cd), sex (42% girls), iron deficiency (ID, 39% children), or intake of dairy foods below recommended levels were examined. BLL was measured using AAS, U-As using HPLC-HGICP-MS, and U-Cd using ICP-MS. Dietary information was obtained by two 24-h recalls completed by caregivers. Children's linear growth was within age and sex-appropriate reference values. Overweight (BAZ > 1 2 SD) was found in 20.1%, and obesity (BAZ > 2 SD) in 18.5%, of children. Ranges (5th, 95th percentile) of biomarker concentrations were: BLL, 0.8-7.8 μg/dL; U-Cd, 0.01-0.2 μg/L, and U-As, 4.0-27.3 μg/L. BLL was inversely associated with HAZ ([95% CI]: 0.10 [-0.17, -0.03]) in covariate-adjusted models. Although this association was slightly more pronounced in girls, children without ID, and children with lower U-As, there was little evidence of effect modification due to overlapping CIs in stratified models. BLLs were not associated with BAZ, except for a suggestion of a negative relationship in girls (-0.10 [-0.23, 0.02]) but not boys [0.001 [-0.11, 0.12]). Our findings indicate that exposure to low levels of lead was associated with lower HAZ in apparently normally growing urban school children. Larger future studies should help elucidate if these associations persist over time and across populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brendan T Kerr
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Elena I Queirolo
- Departmento de Neurocognición, Centro de Investigación Mullin, Universidad Católica Del Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Marie Vahter
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Fabiana Peregalli
- Departmento de Neurocognición, Centro de Investigación Mullin, Universidad Católica Del Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nelly Mañay
- Departmento de Toxicología, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Katarzyna Kordas
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
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Ashrap P, Meeker JD, Sánchez BN, Basu N, Tamayo-Ortiz M, Solano-González M, Mercado-García A, Téllez-Rojo MM, Peterson KE, Watkins DJ. In utero and peripubertal metals exposure in relation to reproductive hormones and sexual maturation and progression among boys in Mexico City. Environ Health 2020; 19:124. [PMID: 33239073 PMCID: PMC7688001 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-020-00672-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as metals have been reported to alter circulating reproductive hormone concentrations and pubertal development in animals. However, the relationship has rarely been investigated among humans, with the exception of heavy metals, such as Pb and Cd. Our aim was to investigate measures of in utero and peripubertal metal exposure in relation to reproductive hormone concentrations and sexual maturation and progression among boys from the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) cohorts. METHODS Our analysis included 118 pregnant women and their male children from the ELEMENT study. Essential and non-essential metals were measured in urine collected from the mothers during the third trimester of pregnancy and their male children at 8-14 years. Reproductive hormone concentrations [serum testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), inhibin B, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)] were measured in blood samples from the children at 8-14 years. We also assessed Tanner stages for sexual maturation (genital, pubic hair development, and testicular volume), at two time points (8-14, 10-18 years). We used linear regression to independently examine urinary metal concentrations in relation to each peripubertal reproductive hormones adjusting for child age and BMI. Generalized estimation equations (GEEs) were used to evaluate the association of in utero and peripubertal metal exposures with sexual maturation and progression during follow-up based on Tanner staging and testicular volume. RESULTS In utero and prepubertal concentrations of some urinary metals were associated with increased concentrations of peripubertal reproductive hormones, especially non-essential metal(loid)s As and Cd (in utero), and Ba (peripubertal) as well as essential metal Mo (in utero) in association with testosterone. More advanced pubic hair developmental stage and higher testicular volume at the early teen visit was observed for boys with higher non-essential metal concentrations, including in utero Al and peripubertal Ba, and essential metal Zn concentration (peripubertal). These metals were also associated with slower pubertal progression between the two visits. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that male reproductive development may be associated with both essential and non-essential metal exposure during in utero and peripubertal windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pahriya Ashrap
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - John D. Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Brisa N. Sánchez
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico
- Mexican Council for Science and Technology, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Maritsa Solano-González
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico
| | - Adriana Mercado-García
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico
| | - Martha M. Téllez-Rojo
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico
| | - Karen E. Peterson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Deborah J. Watkins
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
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Hernández CS, Pardo O, Corpas-Burgos F, Fernández SF, López A, Coscollà C, Vento M, Yusà V. Biomonitoring of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in human milk: Exposure and risk assessment for lactating mothers and breastfed children from Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 744:140710. [PMID: 32712415 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The main objective of the present research was to evaluate the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in the human milk of Spanish lactating women who participated in the BETTERMILK project so that exposure and risk could be assessed for these mothers and their breastfed children. The total ∑PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs TEQ2005 concentrations in the upper-bound (UB) ranged from 1.29 to 13.48 pgTEQ2005 g-1 lipid. The estimated geometric mean level for the sum of PCDD/F and dl-PCBs was 4.10 and 4.42 pgTEQ2005 g-1 lipid, lower-bound (LB) and UB respectively and were below the reference level reported by EFSA, which is associated with adverse effects in boys of 9 years and related to lactating mothers' exposure values of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of around 2 pgTEQ2005 kg-1 bw per week. Nevertheless, it was exceeded when the 95th percentile (8.31 pgTEQ2005 g-1 lipid, as UB) was considered. Results from a multiple regression analysis showed that age has a significant impact on milk ∑PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs levels, with higher concentrations observed in the milk from older mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina S Hernández
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Olga Pardo
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain; Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine Department, University of Valencia, Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
| | - Francisca Corpas-Burgos
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain
| | - Sandra F Fernández
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Antonio López
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain
| | - Clara Coscollà
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain
| | - Máximo Vento
- Neonatal Research Group, Health Research Institute La Fe, Av. Abril Martorell, 106, 46026 Valencia, Spain
| | - Vicent Yusà
- Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencia Region, FISABIO-Public Health, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Public Health Laboratory of Valencia, Av. Catalunya, 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain
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Abou Ghayda R, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Dikov Y, Hauser R, Mínguez-Alarcón L. Peripubertal serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and semen parameters in Russian young men. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 144:106085. [PMID: 32871379 PMCID: PMC9764548 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiologic literature on the relation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) with semen quality among adult men has been inconclusive, and no studies have prospectively explored the association between peripubertal serum OCPs and semen parameters in young men. OBJECTIVE To evaluate prospective associations of peripubertal serum concentrations of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocylohexane (β-HCH), and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) with semen parameters among young Russian men. METHODS This prospective cohort study included 152 young men who enrolled in the Russian Children's Study (2003-2005) at age 8-9 years and were followed annually until young adulthood. HCB, β-HCH, and p,p'-DDE concentrations were measured at the CDC by mass spectrometry in serum collected at enrollment. Between 18 and 23 years, semen samples (n = 298) were provided for analysis of volume, concentration, and progressive motility; we also calculated total sperm count and total progressive motile count. Linear mixed models were used to examine the longitudinal associations of quartiles of serum HCB, β-HCH and p,p'-DDE with semen parameters, adjusting for total serum lipids, body mass index, smoking, abstinence time and baseline dietary macronutrient intake. RESULTS Lipid-adjusted medians (IQR) for serum HCB, βHCH and p,ṕ-DDE, respectively, were 150 ng/g lipid (102-243), 172 ng/g lipid (120-257) and 275 ng/g lipid (190-465). In adjusted models, we observed lower ejaculated volume with higher serum concentrations of HCB and βHCH, along with reduced progressive motility with higher concentrations of βHCH andp,ṕ-DDE. Men in the highest quartile of serum HCB had a mean (95% Confidence Interval, CI) ejaculated volume of 2.25 mL (1.89, 2.60), as compared to those in the lowest quartile with a mean (95% CI) of 2.97 mL (2.46, 3.49) (p = 0.03). Also, men in the highest quartile of serum p,ṕ-DDE had a mean (95% CI) progressive motility of 51.1% (48.6, 53.7), as compared to those in the lowest quartile with a mean (95% CI) of 55.1% (51.7, 58.5) (p = 0.07). CONCLUSION In this longitudinal Russian cohort study, peripubertal serum concentrations of selected OCPs were associated with lower ejaculated volume and progressive motility highlighting the importance of the peripubertal window when evaluating chemical exposures in relation to semen quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramy Abou Ghayda
- Division of Urology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia.
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Yury Dikov
- Group of Epigenetic Epidemiology, A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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12
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Reynolds P, Canchola AJ, Duffy CN, Hurley S, Neuhausen SL, Horn-Ross PL, Rull RP. Urinary cadmium and timing of menarche and pubertal development in girls. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 183:109224. [PMID: 32085996 PMCID: PMC8758186 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cadmium (Cd) is a developmental toxicant that is released into the environment during industrial processes. Previous animal studies suggest that Cd may impact the onset of puberty. OBJECTIVES To determine whether Cd exposure, measured as urinary Cd concentration, was associated with ages at menarche and pubertal development. METHODS A cohort of 211 girls, ages 10-13 years at baseline, was followed for up to two years. Girls completed an interview and self-assessment of Tanner stages of breast development and pubic hair growth. They were followed monthly until menarche. Urinary Cd concentrations were measured in overnight urine specimens. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between urinary Cd and age at menarche and cumulative logit regression was used to evaluate the associations between urinary Cd and breast development and pubic hair growth. RESULTS The baseline geometric mean creatinine-adjusted Cd concentration was 0.22 μg/g creatinine (geometric standard deviation = 1.6) and decreased with increasing age (p-trend = 0.04). Cd levels were higher among Asian than White girls or girls of other/mixed race/ethnicity (p = 0.04). In multivariable analyses, girls with urinary Cd ≥ 0.4 μg/L were less likely to have attained menarche than girls with urinary Cd < 0.2 μg/L (hazard ratio = 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.78). Urinary Cd was negatively associated with pubic hair growth (p-trend = 0.01) but not with breast development (p-trend = 0.72) at baseline. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that a higher Cd body burden may delay some aspects of pubertal development among girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peggy Reynolds
- Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Alison J Canchola
- Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christine N Duffy
- Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susan Hurley
- Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susan L Neuhausen
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | | | - Rudolph P Rull
- Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Fremont, CA, USA; School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
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Flannery BM, Dolan LC, Hoffman-Pennesi D, Gavelek A, Jones OE, Kanwal R, Wolpert B, Gensheimer K, Dennis S, Fitzpatrick S. U.S. Food and Drug Administration's interim reference levels for dietary lead exposure in children and women of childbearing age. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 110:104516. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2019.104516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Williams PL, Bellavia A, Korrick SA, Burns JS, Lee MM, Sergeyev O, Hauser R. Blood lead levels and timing of male sexual maturity: A longitudinal study of Russian boys. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 125:470-477. [PMID: 30769180 PMCID: PMC6388626 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Higher blood lead levels (BLLs) have been linked to neurologic deficits and impaired growth, but few studies have evaluated their association with timing of sexual maturity or pubertal progression in boys. METHODS In a longitudinal cohort of Russian boys enrolled at age 8-9 and followed to adulthood, BLLs were measured at study entry, and pubertal staging (genitalia and pubic hair) and testicular volume (TV) measurements were obtained annually. We used interval-censored regression models to estimate differences between boys with higher BLL (≥5 μg/dL) and lower BLL in mean ages at sexual maturity (genitalia stage 5, pubic hair stage 5, or TV ≥ 20 mL) and duration of pubertal progression (onset to maturity), adjusting for potential confounders. Mediation analyses were conducted to quantify the percent of lead's effect attributable to its association with reduced somatic growth. RESULTS Among 481 evaluable boys, 28% had BLL ≥ 5 μg/dL. Adjusted mean ages at sexual maturity were 14.7 years for genitalia, 16.1 for pubic hair, and 13.9 for TV. In adjusted models, boys with BLLs ≥5 μg/dL had later maturity than those with lower levels by 4-5 months depending on pubertal indicator. In mediation analyses, height and body mass index at age 11 accounted for 40-71% of the shift in age at maturity for boys with higher compared to lower BLLs. Higher BLLs were not associated with pace of pubertal progression. CONCLUSIONS Higher lead levels were associated with later attainment of sexual maturity in males, but not with the duration of pubertal progression. A high proportion of the delay in sexual maturity for boys with higher as compared to lower BLL was shown to be attributable to mediating effects of BLL on reduced growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America.
| | - Andrea Bellavia
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States of America
| | - Jane S Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
| | - Mary M Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Nemours AI duPont Children's Hospital/Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Jefferson University, United States of America
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia; A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
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15
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Liu Y, Téllez-Rojo MM, Sánchez BN, Zhang Z, Afeiche MC, Mercado-García A, Hu H, Meeker JD, Peterson KE. Early lead exposure and pubertal development in a Mexico City population. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 125:445-451. [PMID: 30763831 PMCID: PMC6472946 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have examined the association between blood lead levels and pubertal timing in adolescent girls; however, the evidence is lacking on the role of lead exposure during sensitive developmental periods on sexual maturation. OBJECTIVES To examine the association of prenatal and early childhood lead exposure with pubertal stages among 264 boys and 283 girls aged 9.8-18.0 years in Mexico City. METHODS We measured maternal bone lead (a proxy for cumulative fetal exposure to lead from maternal bone stores mobilized during pregnancy) at 1 month postpartum. Blood lead was measured annually from 1 to 4 years. Pubertal stage was assessed by a pediatrician. We examined the association between lead and pubertal stages of breast, pubic hair and genitalia using ordinal regression. Age at menarche was evaluated using Cox proportional-hazard models. RESULTS Multivariate models showed that maternal patella lead and early childhood blood lead were inversely associated with breast growth (patella OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.51-1.00; blood OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.53-0.93) in girls. Girls with maternal patella lead in the 3rd tertile and child blood lead in the 2nd tertile had a later age at menarche compared with girls in the 1st tertile (patella HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.41-0.88; blood HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.46-0.91). Additionally, early childhood blood lead was negatively associated with pubic hair growth (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.51-0.90) in girls. No associations were found in boys. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that higher prenatal and early childhood exposure to lead may be associated with delayed pubertal development in girls but not boys. Our findings are consistent with previous analyses and reinforce the reproductive effects of lead for girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Liu
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Martha M Téllez-Rojo
- Centro de Investigacion en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
| | - Brisa N Sánchez
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Zhenzhen Zhang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Myriam C Afeiche
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adrianna Mercado-García
- Centro de Investigacion en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Howard Hu
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Occupational and Environmental Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - John D Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Karen E Peterson
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Knutsen HK, Alexander J, Barregård L, Bignami M, Brüschweiler B, Ceccatelli S, Cottrill B, Dinovi M, Edler L, Grasl-Kraupp B, Hogstrand C, Nebbia CS, Oswald IP, Petersen A, Rose M, Roudot AC, Schwerdtle T, Vleminckx C, Vollmer G, Wallace H, Fürst P, Håkansson H, Halldorsson T, Lundebye AK, Pohjanvirta R, Rylander L, Smith A, van Loveren H, Waalkens-Berendsen I, Zeilmaker M, Binaglia M, Gómez Ruiz JÁ, Horváth Z, Christoph E, Ciccolallo L, Ramos Bordajandi L, Steinkellner H, Hoogenboom LR. Risk for animal and human health related to the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in feed and food. EFSA J 2018; 16:e05333. [PMID: 32625737 PMCID: PMC7009407 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific opinion on the risks for animal and human health related to the presence of dioxins (PCDD/Fs) and DL-PCBs in feed and food. The data from experimental animal and epidemiological studies were reviewed and it was decided to base the human risk assessment on effects observed in humans and to use animal data as supportive evidence. The critical effect was on semen quality, following pre- and postnatal exposure. The critical study showed a NOAEL of 7.0 pg WHO2005-TEQ/g fat in blood sampled at age 9 years based on PCDD/F-TEQs. No association was observed when including DL-PCB-TEQs. Using toxicokinetic modelling and taking into account the exposure from breastfeeding and a twofold higher intake during childhood, it was estimated that daily exposure in adolescents and adults should be below 0.25 pg TEQ/kg bw/day. The CONTAM Panel established a TWI of 2 pg TEQ/kg bw/week. With occurrence and consumption data from European countries, the mean and P95 intake of total TEQ by Adolescents, Adults, Elderly and Very Elderly varied between, respectively, 2.1 to 10.5, and 5.3 to 30.4 pg TEQ/kg bw/week, implying a considerable exceedance of the TWI. Toddlers and Other Children showed a higher exposure than older age groups, but this was accounted for when deriving the TWI. Exposure to PCDD/F-TEQ only was on average 2.4- and 2.7-fold lower for mean and P95 exposure than for total TEQ. PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs are transferred to milk and eggs, and accumulate in fatty tissues and liver. Transfer rates and bioconcentration factors were identified for various species. The CONTAM Panel was not able to identify reference values in most farm and companion animals with the exception of NOAELs for mink, chicken and some fish species. The estimated exposure from feed for these species does not imply a risk.
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Singh N, Kumar A, Gupta VK, Sharma B. Biochemical and Molecular Bases of Lead-Induced Toxicity in Mammalian Systems and Possible Mitigations. Chem Res Toxicol 2018; 31:1009-1021. [PMID: 30178661 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.8b00193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The effects of lead exposure on mammals are reported to be devastating. Lead is present in all the abiotic environmental components such as brass, dust, plumbing fixtures, soil, water, and lead mixed imported products. Its continuous use for several industrial and domestic purposes has caused a rise in its levels, thereby posing serious threats to human health. The mechanisms involved in lead-induced toxicity primarily include free-radical-mediated generation of oxidative stress which directly imbalances the prooxidants and the antioxidants in body. The toxicity of lead involves damage primarily to major biomolecules (lipid, protein, and nucleic acids) and liver (hepatotoxicity), nervous system (neurotoxicity), kidney (nephrotoxicity) and DNA (genotoxicity), present in animals and humans. The activation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, or Akt and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase signaling pathways are important for lead cytotoxicity. Lead increased apoptosis through signaling cascade and associated factors and significantly impairs cell differentiation and maturation. In addition, lead has great impact on metabolic pathways such as heme synthesis, thereby leading to the onset of anemia in lead exposed people. This review encompasses an updated account of varied aspects of lead-induced oxidative stress and the biomolecular consequences such as perturbations in physiological processes, apoptosis, carcinogenesis, hormonal imbalance, loss of vision, and reduced fertility and their possible remediation through synthetic (chelators) and natural compounds (plant-based principles). This paper is primarily concerned with the biomedical implications of lead-induced generation of free radical and the toxicity management in the mammalian system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitika Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science , University of Allahabad , Allahabad 211002 , India
| | - Abhishek Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science , University of Allahabad , Allahabad 211002 , India
| | - Vivek Kumar Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science , University of Allahabad , Allahabad 211002 , India
| | - Bechan Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science , University of Allahabad , Allahabad 211002 , India
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Nkomo P, Richter LM, Kagura J, Mathee A, Naicker N, Norris SA. Environmental lead exposure and pubertal trajectory classes in South African adolescent males and females. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 628-629:1437-1445. [PMID: 30045563 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The effects of environmental lead exposure in the neuro-endocrine system have been shown to impact the maturation and tempo of puberty development in adolescents. In low and middle income countries very little is known regarding the detrimental health effects of childhood lead exposure with regard to the tempo of puberty development. To help address this gap in data, we examined the association between lead exposure and puberty progression in males and females. Study participants from the urban Birth to Twenty Plus (BT20+) birth cohort in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa with data for blood lead levels at age 13years, cord blood lead levels, pubic hair development and breast development in females, and pubic hair development and genital development in males, were included in this study. The sample comprised 1416 study participants (n=684 females). Pubertal development trajectory classes were defined using Latent Class Growth Analysis. Data were examined for (i) an association between cord blood lead levels and pubertal trajectory classes; and (ii) an association between blood lead levels at age 13years and pubertal trajectory classes. In females, there was an association between adolescent elevated blood lead levels (≥5μg/dL) and lower level of maturation at age 9years and slower progression of pubic hair and breast development (relative risk ratio (RRR)=0.45, p<0.0001; 95% CI (0.29-0.68)) and (RRR=0.46, p<0.01; 95% CI (0.27-0.77)), respectively. In males, elevated blood lead levels at birth were associated with slower tempo of pubic hair development (RRR=0.20, p<0.05). Findings from this study suggest a possible role for environmental lead in altering pubertal development in South African adolescents as shown by slower tempo of progression through the Tanner stages pubertal development in females and males. There were also gender-differences between the effects of prenatal and postnatal lead exposure during pubertal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palesa Nkomo
- Environment & Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa; MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Linda M Richter
- MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Juliana Kagura
- MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Environment & Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Shane A Norris
- MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Nkomo P, Mathee A, Naicker N, Galpin J, Richter LM, Norris SA. The association between elevated blood lead levels and violent behavior during late adolescence: The South African Birth to Twenty Plus cohort. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 109:136-145. [PMID: 28916132 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have shown the adverse neuro-behavioral health effects of lead exposure among children, in particular. However, there is lack evidence in this regard from developing countries. The main aim of this study was to assess the association between blood lead levels (BLLs) during early adolescence and violent behavior in late adolescence. Our study sample from the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa included 1332 study participants (684 females). BLLs were measured using blood samples collected at age 13years. Violent behavior was evaluated using data collected at ages 15 to 16years using the Youth Self Report questionnaire. First, bivariate analysis was used to examine data for an association between lead exposure in early adolescence and violent behavior items during late adolescence. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction and six violent behavior components were derived. Data were further analyzed for an association between BLLs at age 13years and violent behavior using PCA derived components; to determine the specific type(s) of violent behavior associated with lead exposure. Median whole BLLs were 5.6μg/dL (p<0.001). Seventy five percent of males and 50% of females had BLLs≥5μg/dL. BLLs ranging from 5 to 9.99μg/dL were associated with physical violence (p=0.03) and BLLs≥10μg/dL were associated physical violence and fighting (p=0.02 and p=0.01, respectively). When data were analyzed using continuous BLLs physical violence was associated with lead exposure (p<0.0001). Furthermore, males were more likely to be involved in violence using a weapon (p=0.01), physical violence (p<0.0001), and robbing others (p<0.05) compared to females. The results from this study show the severe nature of violent behavior in late adolescence associated with childhood lead exposure. They highlight the urgent need for preventive measures against lead exposure among children in low or middle income countries such as South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palesa Nkomo
- Environment & Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa; MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Environment & Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Jacky Galpin
- School of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Linda M Richter
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Shane A Norris
- MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Revich B, Sergeyev O, Hauser R, Korrick SA. Peripubertal blood lead levels and growth among Russian boys. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 106:53-59. [PMID: 28599171 PMCID: PMC5561550 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood blood lead levels (BLL) have been associated with growth impairment. OBJECTIVES We assessed associations of peripubertal BLL with adolescent growth and near adult height in a longitudinal cohort of Russian boys. METHODS 481 boys were enrolled at ages 8-9years and followed annually to age 18. At enrollment, BLL was measured, and height, weight, and pubertal staging were obtained annually during 10years of follow-up. Mixed effects models were used to assess the associations of BLL with longitudinal age-adjusted World Health OrganizationZ-scores for height (HT-Z) and body mass index (BMI-Z), and annual height velocity (HV). Interactions between boys' age and BLL on growth outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS The median (range) BLL was 3.0 (0.5-31.0) μg/dL. At age 18years, 79% of boys had achieved near adult height (HV <1.0cm/year), and means (SD) for HT-Z and BMI-Z were 0.15 (0.92) and -0.32 (1.24). Over 10years of follow-up, after covariate adjustment, boys with higher (≥5μg/dL) BLL compared with lower BLL were shorter (adjusted mean difference in HT-Z=-0.43, 95% CI -0.60, -0.25, p-value <0.001), translating to a 2.5cm lower height at age 18years. The decrement in height for boys with higher BLL was most pronounced at 12 to 15years of age (interaction p=0.03). Boys with higher BLL were leaner (adjusted mean difference in BMI-Z=-0.22, 95% CI: -0.45, 0.01, p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS Higher peripubertal BLLs were associated with shorter height through age 18years, suggesting a persistent effect of lead on linear growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 N Lake Avenue, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, 47 Nakhimovsky Prosp, Moscow 117418, Russia
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina Str. 3, Moscow 119333, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Meditsinskaya Str., 3a, Chapaevsk, Samara Region 446100, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Korrick SA, Lee MM, Revich B, Hauser R. The association of peripubertal serum concentrations of organochlorine chemicals and blood lead with growth and pubertal development in a longitudinal cohort of boys: a review of published results from the Russian Children's Study. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2017; 32:83-92. [PMID: 28231067 PMCID: PMC5536108 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2016-0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Organochlorine chemicals and lead are environmental exposures that have endocrine disrupting properties (EDCs) which interfere with many aspects of hormone action. Childhood and adolescence are windows of susceptibility for adverse health effects of EDCs. Our ongoing study, the Russian Children's Study (RCS), is one of the few longitudinal studies investigating the impact of EDCs on growth and puberty in boys. It is conducted in the historically contaminated city of Chapaevsk, in the Samara region. The study focuses on evaluating the associations of persistent organochlorine chemicals and lead with growth and pubertal timing. At enrollment in 2003-2005, we collected blood from 516 boys at ages 8-9 years to measure dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides and lead. At enrollment and at annual visits through the ages of 18-19 years, a physician performed physical examinations that included pubertal staging and testicular volume measurements. We review the history of Chapaevsk as a research site and summarize published RCS data on the association of peripubertal serum concentrations of organochlorines and blood lead levels with growth, pubertal onset and sexual maturity. Overall, we found that persistent organochlorines and lead negatively affected growth during puberty. Our results also suggest that total toxic equivalents (TEQs), dioxin-like compounds, organochlorine pesticides and lead may delay, while nondioxin-like-PCBs may advance, the timing of male puberty. These findings promoted remediation programs in Chapaevsk, with improvement in health indicators, resulting in Chapaevsk being designated a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) network "Healthy Cities" in 2015.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Jane S. Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Departments of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Departments of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
- Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Mínguez-Alarcón L, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Revich B, Hauser R. A Longitudinal Study of Peripubertal Serum Organochlorine Concentrations and Semen Parameters in Young Men: The Russian Children's Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2017; 125:460-466. [PMID: 27713107 PMCID: PMC5332179 DOI: 10.1289/ehp25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during critical phases of testicular development may be related to poorer semen parameters. However, few studies have assessed the association between childhood organochlorine (OC) exposure and adult semen parameters. OBJECTIVE We examined whether peripubertal serum OC concentrations are associated with semen parameters among young Russian men. METHODS From 2003 through 2005, 516 boys were enrolled at age 8-9 years and followed for up to 10 years. Serum OCs were measured in the enrollment samples using high-resolution mass spectrometry. At 18-19 years, 133 young men provided 1 or 2 semen samples (256 samples) collected approximately 1 week apart, which were analyzed for volume, sperm concentration, and motility. Unadjusted and adjusted linear mixed models were used to examine the associations of quartiles of lipid-standardized concentrations of dioxins [2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)], furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and corresponding toxic equivalents (TEQs) with semen parameters. RESULTS The median (range) for TCDD was 2.9 (0.4-12.1) pg/g lipid and PCDD TEQ was 8.7 (1.0-36.0) pg TEQ/g lipid. Higher quartiles of TCDD and PCDD TEQs were associated with lower sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count (p-trends ≤ 0.05). The highest quartile of peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations was associated with a decrease (95% CI) of 40% (18, 66%), 29% (3, 64%), and 30% (2, 70%) in sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Similar associations were observed for serum PCDD TEQs with semen parameters. Serum PCBs, furans, and total TEQs were not associated with semen parameters. CONCLUSION Higher peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations and PCDD TEQs were associated with poorer semen parameters. Citation: Mínguez-Alarcón L, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Revich B, Hauser R. 2017. A longitudinal study of peripubertal serum organochlorine concentrations and semen parameters in young men: the Russian Children's Study. Environ Health Perspect 125:460-466; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP25.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Genomics and Human Genetics Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Jane S. Burns
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, and
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Departments of Pediatrics and Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Christensen P, Bonde J, Bungum L, Giwercman A, Toft G, Jönsson B, Specht I. Environmental cadmium and lead exposure and anti-Müllerian hormone in pregnant women. Reprod Toxicol 2016; 61:114-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Lam T, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Revich B, Altshul LM, Patterson DG, Hauser R. Prepubertal Serum Concentrations of Organochlorine Pesticides and Age at Sexual Maturity in Russian Boys. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2015; 123:1216-21. [PMID: 26009253 PMCID: PMC4629743 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few human studies have evaluated the impact of childhood exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCP) on pubertal development. OBJECTIVE We evaluated associations of serum OCP concentrations [hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (βHCH), and p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE)] with age at attainment of sexual maturity among boys. METHODS From 2003 through 2005, 350 8- to 9-year-old boys from Chapaevsk, Russia, with measured OCPs were enrolled and followed annually for 8 years. We used multivariable interval-censored models to evaluate associations of OCPs (quartiles) with three physician-assessed measures of sexual maturity: Tanner stage 5 for genitalia growth, Tanner stage 5 for pubic hair growth, or testicular volume (TV) ≥ 20 mL in either testis. RESULTS In adjusted models, boys with higher HCB concentrations achieved sexual maturity reflected by TV ≥ 20 mL a mean of 3.1 months (95% CI: -1.7, 7.8), 5.3 months (95% CI: 0.6, 10.1), and 5.0 months (95% CI: 0.2, 9.8) later for quartiles Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively, compared with Q1 (p trend = 0.04). Tanner stage 5 for genitalia growth was attained a mean of 2.2 months (95% CI: -3.1, 7.5), 5.7 months (95% CI: 0.4, 11.0), and 3.7 months (95% CI: -1.7, 9.1) later for quartiles Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively, of βHCH compared with Q1 (p trend = 0.09). Tanner stage 5 for pubic hair growth occurred 6-9 months later on average for boys in the highest versus lowest quartile for HCB (p trend < 0.001), βHCH (trend p = 0.01), and p,p´-DDE (p trend = 0.04). No associations were observed between p,p´-DDE and Tanner stage 5 for genitalia growth or TV ≥ 20 mL. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Higher prepubertal serum HCB and βHCH concentrations were associated with a later age at attainment of sexual maturity. Only the highest quartile of serum p,p´-DDE was associated with later pubic hair maturation. CITATION Lam T, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Revich B, Altshul LM, Patterson DG Jr, Hauser R. 2015. Prepubertal serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and age at sexual maturity in Russian boys. Environ Health Perspect 123:1216-1221; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy Lam
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Lassiter MG, Owens EO, Patel MM, Kirrane E, Madden M, Richmond-Bryant J, Hines EP, Davis JA, Vinikoor-Imler L, Dubois JJ. Cross-species coherence in effects and modes of action in support of causality determinations in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Science Assessment for Lead. Toxicology 2015; 330:19-40. [PMID: 25637851 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2015.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Revised: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The peer-reviewed literature on the health and ecological effects of lead (Pb) indicates common effects and underlying modes of action across multiple organisms for several endpoints. Based on such observations, the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) applied a cross-species approach in the 2013 Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Lead for evaluating the causality of relationships between Pb exposure and specific endpoints that are shared by humans, laboratory animals, and ecological receptors (i.e., hematological effects, reproductive and developmental effects, and nervous system effects). Other effects of Pb (i.e., cardiovascular, renal, and inflammatory responses) are less commonly assessed in aquatic and terrestrial wildlife limiting the application of cross-species comparisons. Determinations of causality in ISAs are guided by a framework for classifying the weight of evidence across scientific disciplines and across related effects by considering aspects such as biological plausibility and coherence. As illustrated for effects of Pb where evidence across species exists, the integration of coherent effects and common underlying modes of action can serve as a means to substantiate conclusions regarding the causal nature of the health and ecological effects of environmental toxicants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Gooding Lassiter
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Oesterling Owens
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Molini M Patel
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Ellen Kirrane
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Meagan Madden
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participation Program, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Jennifer Richmond-Bryant
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Erin Pias Hines
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - J Allen Davis
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Lisa Vinikoor-Imler
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Jean-Jacques Dubois
- Southern Region Integrated Pest Management Center, North Carolina State University, 1730 Varsity Drive, Suite 110, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
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Lam T, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Sergeyev O, Revich B, Altshul LM, Patterson DG, Turner WE, Hauser R. Prepubertal organochlorine pesticide concentrations and age of pubertal onset among Russian boys. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2014; 73:135-42. [PMID: 25118086 PMCID: PMC4194160 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2014] [Revised: 06/22/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In animal studies, organochlorine pesticide (OCP) exposure alters pubertal development; however, epidemiological data are limited and inconsistent. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the associations of serum OCP concentrations [hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE)] with male pubertal onset. METHODS In Chapaevsk, Russia, a town environmentally contaminated with OCPs, 350 8-9 year old boys with measured OCPs were enrolled during 2003-2005 and were followed annually for eight years. We evaluated three measures of pubertal onset: testicular volume (TV)>3 mL in either testis, or stage 2 or greater for genitalia (G2+), or pubic hair (P2+). We used multivariable interval-censored models to evaluate associations of OCPs (quartiles) with physician-assessed pubertal onset. RESULTS In adjusted models, boys with higher HCB concentrations had later mean ages of TV>3 mL and P2+ (but not G2+). Mean age at attaining TV>3 mL was delayed 3.6 (95% CI: -2.6, 9.7), 7.9 (95% CI: 1.7, 14.0), and 4.7 months (95% CI: -1.4, 10.9) for HCB Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively, compared to Q1 (trend p: 0.06). Boys with higher HCB concentrations reached P2+ 0.1 months earlier (95% CI: -5.8, 5.6) for Q2, 4.7 months later (95% CI: -1.0, 10.3) for Q3 and 4.6 months later (95% CI: -1.1, 10.3) for Q4 compared to Q1 (trend p: 0.04). There were no associations of serum β-HCH and p,p'-DDE concentrations with age of pubertal onset. CONCLUSION Higher prepubertal serum HCB concentrations were associated with later age of gonadarche and pubarche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy Lam
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Quintiles, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Paige L Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mary M Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Linda S Birnbaum
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Samara State Medical University, Department of Physical Education and Health, Samara, Russia; Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Boris Revich
- Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Larisa M Altshul
- Exposure, Epidemiology, and Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc., Needham, MA, USA
| | - Donald G Patterson
- EnviroSolutions Consulting, Inc., Auburn, GA, USA; Axys Analytical Solutions, Sidney, BC, Canada; Exponent, Inc., Maynard, MA, USA
| | - Wayman E Turner
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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Jadambaa A, Spickett J, Badrakh B, Norman RE. The impact of the environment on health in Mongolia: a systematic review. Asia Pac J Public Health 2014; 27:45-75. [PMID: 25113526 DOI: 10.1177/1010539514545648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Mongolia has significant exposure to environmental risk factors because of poor environmental management and behaviors, and children are increasingly vulnerable to these threats. This study aimed to assess levels of exposure and summarize the evidence for associations between exposures to environmental risk factors and adverse health outcomes in Mongolia, with a particular focus on children. A systematic review was conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Global Health Library, CINAHL, CABI, Scopus, and mongolmed.mn electronic databases up to April 2014 . A total of 59 studies meeting the predetermined criteria were included. Results indicate that the Mongolian population has significant exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution, metals, environmental tobacco smoke, and other chemical toxins, and these risk factors have been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases among adults and respiratory diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders among children. Well-designed epidemiological investigations in vulnerable populations especially in pregnant women and children are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarzaya Jadambaa
- Health Sciences University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
| | | | | | - Rosana E Norman
- School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
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Schell LM, Gallo MV, Deane GD, Nelder KR, DeCaprio AP, Jacobs A. Relationships of polychlorinated biphenyls and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) with testosterone levels in adolescent males. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2014; 122:304-309. [PMID: 24398050 PMCID: PMC3948020 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1205984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2012] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Concern persists over endocrine-disrupting effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on human growth and sexual maturation. Potential effects of toxicant exposures on testosterone levels during puberty are not well characterized. OBJECTIVES In this study we evaluated the relationship between toxicants [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and lead] and testosterone levels among 127 Akwesasne Mohawk males 10 to < 17 years of age with documented toxicant exposures. METHODS Data were collected between February 1996 and January 2000. Fasting blood specimens were collected before breakfast by trained Akwesasne Mohawk staff. Multivariable regression models were used to estimates associations between toxicants and serum testosterone, adjusted for other toxicants, Tanner stage, and potential confounders. RESULTS The sum of 16 PCB congeners (Σ16PCBs) that were detected in ≥ 50% of the population was significantly and negatively associated with serum testosterone levels, such that a 10% change in exposure was associated with a 5.6% decrease in testosterone (95% CI: -10.8, -0.5%). Of the 16 congeners, the more persistent ones (Σ8PerPCBs) were related to testosterone, whereas the less persistent ones, possibly reflecting more recent exposure, were not. When PCB congeners were subgrouped, the association was significant for the sum of eight more persistent PCBs (5.7% decrease; 95% CI: -11, -0.4%), and stronger than the sum of six less persistent congeners (3.1% decrease; 95% CI: -7.2, 0.9%). p,p´-DDE was positively but not significantly associated with serum testosterone (5.2% increase with a 10% increase in exposure; 95% CI: -0.5, 10.9%). Neither lead nor HCB was significantly associated with testosterone levels. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to PCBs, particularly the more highly persistent congeners, may negatively influence testosterone levels among adolescent males. The positive relationship between p,p´-DDE and testosterone indicates that not all POPs act similarly. CITATION Schell LM, Gallo MV, Deane GD, Nelder KR, DeCaprio AP, Jacobs A; Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. 2014. Relationships of polychlorinated biphenyls and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE) with testosterone levels in adolescent males. Environ Health Perspect 122:304-309; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1205984.
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Vallascas E, De Micco A, Deiana F, Banni S, Sanna E. Adipose tissue: another target organ for lead accumulation? A study on Sardinian children (Italy). Am J Hum Biol 2013; 25:789-94. [PMID: 24022917 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2012] [Revised: 08/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study analyzes the relationship between lead levels and adipose tissue in Sardinian children. As an environmental pollutant, lead occurs in two different chemical forms: inorganic and organic lead; organic lead is present in the environment mainly as lead-alkyls (tetramethyl and tetraethyl lead). The lead-alkyls are characterized by their liposolubility; because of this characteristic, the behavior of organic Pb in the organism is similar to that of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In fact, the high liposolubility of POPs, synthetic chemical substances highly resistant to biodegradation in both the environment and the human body, gives them a preferential tendency to accumulate in adipose tissue. METHODS The study sample consisted of 759 children between 11 and 15 years resident in various municipalities of Sardinia. Hair lead levels (PbH) were used as the biomarker of exposure, while several anthropometric indexes were adopted to evaluate the adipose tissue: weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist to hip circumference ratio, and sum of skinfolds (Σskf). RESULTS The results of the multivariate ridge regression analysis, controlling for sex and age, show a significant positive relationship between logPbH and logΣskf but not the other adiposity indicators. CONCLUSIONS This results suggests that organic lead tends to accumulate in adipose tissue, although it would be appropriate to measure lead levels in the adipose tissue itself in order to verify the results. Hence this tissue could be considered a possible new biological matrix for the evaluation of environmental lead exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Vallascas
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Anthropological Sciences Research Unit, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
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Lee Y, Styne D. Influences on the onset and tempo of puberty in human beings and implications for adolescent psychological development. Horm Behav 2013; 64:250-61. [PMID: 23998669 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2012] [Revised: 03/24/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Puberty and Adolescence". Historical records reveal a secular trend toward earlier onset of puberty in both males and females, often attributed to improvements in nutrition and health status. The trend stabilized during the mid 20th century in many countries, but recent studies describe a recurrence of a decrease in age of pubertal onset. There appears to be an associated change in pubertal tempo in girls, such that girls who enter puberty earlier have a longer duration of puberty. Puberty is influenced by genetic factors but since these effects cannot change dramatically over the past century, environmental effects, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and perinatal conditions offer alternative etiologies. Observations that the secular trends in puberty in girls parallel the obesity epidemic provide another plausible explanation. Early puberty has implications for poor behavioral and psychosocial outcomes as well as health later in life. Irrespective of the underlying cause of the ongoing trend toward early puberty, experts in the field have debated whether these trends should lead clinicians to reconsider a lower age of normal puberty, or whether such a new definition will mask a pathologic etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Lee
- University of California Davis Medical Center, 2516 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
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Fleisch AF, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Sergeyev O, Korrick SA, Hauser R. Blood lead levels and serum insulin-like growth factor 1 concentrations in peripubertal boys. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2013; 121:854-8. [PMID: 23632160 PMCID: PMC3702001 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1206105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2012] [Accepted: 04/24/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood lead exposure has been associated with growth delay. However, the association between blood lead levels (BLLs) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) has not been characterized in a large cohort with low-level lead exposure. METHODS We recruited 394 boys 8-9 years of age from an industrial Russian town in 2003-2005 and followed them annually thereafter. We used linear regression models to estimate the association of baseline BLLs with serum IGF-1 concentration at two follow-up visits (ages 10-11 and 12-13 years), adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates. RESULTS At study entry, median BLL was 3 μg/dL (range, < 0.5-31 μg/dL), most boys (86%) were prepubertal, and mean ± SD height and BMI z-scores were 0.14 ± 1.0 and -0.2 ± 1.3, respectively. After adjustment for covariates, the mean follow-up IGF-1 concentration was 29.2 ng/mL lower (95% CI: -43.8, -14.5) for boys with high versus low BLL (≥ 5 μg/dL or < 5 μg/dL); this difference persisted after further adjustment for pubertal status. The association of BLL with IGF-1 was stronger for mid-pubertal than prepubertal boys (p = 0.04). Relative to boys with BLLs < 2 μg/dL, adjusted mean IGF-1 concentrations decreased by 12.8 ng/mL (95% CI: -29.9, 4.4) for boys with BLLs of 3-4 μg/dL; 34.5 ng/mL (95% CI: -53.1, -16.0) for BLLs 5-9 μg/dL; and 60.4 ng/mL (95% CI: -90.9, -29.9) for BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL. CONCLUSIONS In peripubertal boys with low-level lead exposure, higher BLLs were associated with lower serum IGF-1. Inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-growth axis may be one possible pathway by which lead exposure leads to growth delay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby F Fleisch
- Department of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Humblet O, Korrick SA, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Emond C, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Altshul LM, Patterson DG, Turner WE, Lee MM, Revich B, Hauser R. Genetic modification of the association between peripubertal dioxin exposure and pubertal onset in a cohort of Russian boys. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2013; 121:111-117. [PMID: 23060366 PMCID: PMC3546349 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1205278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to dioxins has been associated with delayed pubertal onset in both epidemiologic and animal studies. Whether genetic polymorphisms may modify this association is currently unknown. Identifying such genes could provide insight into mechanistic pathways. This is one of the first studies to assess genetic susceptibility to dioxins. OBJECTIVES We evaluated whether common polymorphisms in genes affecting either molecular responses to dioxin exposure or pubertal onset influence the association between peripubertal serum dioxin concentration and male pubertal onset. METHODS In this prospective cohort of Russian adolescent boys (n = 392), we assessed gene-environment interactions for 337 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 46 candidate genes and two intergenic regions. Dioxins were measured in the boys' serum at age 8-9 years. Pubertal onset was based on testicular volume and on genitalia staging. Statistical approaches for controlling for multiple testing were used, both with and without prescreening for marginal genetic associations. RESULTS After accounting for multiple testing, two tag SNPs in the glucocorticoid receptor (GR/NR3C1) gene and one in the estrogen receptor-α (ESR1) gene were significant (q < 0.2) modifiers of the association between peripubertal serum dioxin concentration and male pubertal onset defined by genitalia staging, although not by testicular volume. The results were sensitive to whether multiple comparison adjustment was applied to all gene-environment tests or only to those with marginal genetic associations. CONCLUSIONS Common genetic polymorphisms in the glucocorticoid receptor and estrogen receptor-α genes may modify the association between peripubertal serum dioxin concentration and pubertal onset. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Humblet
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are synthetic or natural compounds that interfere with endogenous endocrine action. The frequent use of chemicals with endocrine active properties in household products and contamination of soil, water, and food sources by persistent chemical pollutants result in ubiquitous exposures. Wildlife observations and animal toxicological studies reveal adverse effects of EDCs on reproductive health. In humans, a growing number of epidemiological studies report an association with altered pubertal timing and progression. While these data are primarily reported in females, this review will focus on the small number of studies performed in males that report an association of polychlorinated biphenyls with earlier sexual maturity rating and confirm subtle effects of lead, dioxins, and endosulfan on delaying pubertal onset and progression in boys. Recent studies have also demonstrated that EDC exposure may affect pubertal testosterone production without having a noticeable effect on sexual maturity rating. A limitation to understand the effects of EDCs in humans is the potential for confounding due to the long temporal lag from early-life exposures to adult outcomes. The complex interplay of multiple environmental exposures over time also complicates the interpretation of human studies. These studies have identified critical windows of vulnerability during development when exposures to EDCs alter critical pathways and affect postnatal reproductive health. Contemporaneous exposures can also disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This paper will review the normal process of puberty in males and summarize human data that suggest potential perturbations in pubertal onset and tempo with early-life exposures to EDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Zawatski
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA
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Herman-Giddens ME, Steffes J, Harris D, Slora E, Hussey M, Dowshen SA, Wasserman R, Serwint JR, Smitherman L, Reiter EO. Secondary sexual characteristics in boys: data from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings Network. Pediatrics 2012; 130:e1058-68. [PMID: 23085608 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-3291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data from racially and ethnically diverse US boys are needed to determine ages of onset of secondary sexual characteristics and examine secular trends. Current international studies suggest earlier puberty in boys than previous studies, following recent trend in girls. METHODS Two hundred and twelve practitioners collected Tanner stage and testicular volume data on 4131 boys seen for well-child care in 144 pediatric offices across the United States. Data were analyzed for prevalence and mean ages of onset of sexual maturity markers. RESULTS Mean ages for onset of Tanner 2 genital development for non-Hispanic white, African American, and Hispanic boys were 10.14, 9.14, and 10.04 years and for stage 2 pubic hair, 11.47, 10.25, and 11.43 years respectively. Mean years for achieving testicular volumes of ≥ 3 mL were 9.95 for white, 9.71 for African American, and 9.63 for Hispanic boys; and for ≥ 4 mL were 11.46, 11.75, and 11.29 respectively. African American boys showed earlier (P < .0001) mean ages for stage 2 to 4 genital development and stage 2 to 4 pubic hair than white and Hispanic boys. No statistical differences were observed between white and Hispanic boys. CONCLUSIONS Observed mean ages of beginning genital and pubic hair growth and early testicular volumes were 6 months to 2 years earlier than in past studies, depending on the characteristic and race/ethnicity. The causes and public health implications of this apparent shift in US boys to a lower age of onset for the development of secondary sexual characteristics in US boys needs further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia E Herman-Giddens
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1450 Russell Chapel Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312, USA.
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Sławińska T, Ignasiak Z, Little BB, Malina RM. Short‐term secular variation in menarche and blood lead concentration in school girls in the copper basin of southwestern poland: 1995 and 2007. Am J Hum Biol 2012; 24:587-94. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2011] [Revised: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Sławińska
- Department of Biostructure, University School of Physical Education, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Zofia Ignasiak
- Department of Biostructure, University School of Physical Education, Wrocław, Poland
| | | | - Robert M. Malina
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
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Dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in mother's serum and the timing of pubertal onset in sons. Epidemiology 2012; 22:827-35. [PMID: 21968773 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0b013e318230b0d1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal studies have demonstrated that timing of pubertal onset can be altered by prenatal exposure to dioxins or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), but studies of human populations have been quite limited. METHODS We assessed the association between maternal serum concentrations of dioxins and PCBs and the sons' age of pubertal onset in a prospective cohort of 489 mother-son pairs from Chapaevsk, Russia, a town contaminated with these chemicals during past industrial activity. The boys were recruited at ages 8 to 9 years, and 4 years of annual follow-up data were included in the analysis. Serum samples were collected at enrollment from both mothers and sons for measurement of dioxin and PCB concentrations using high-resolution mass spectrometry. The sons' pubertal onset--defined as pubertal stage 2 or higher for genitalia (G) or pubic hair (P), or testicular volume >3 mL--was assessed annually by the same physician. RESULTS In multivariate Cox models, elevated maternal serum PCBs were associated with earlier pubertal onset defined by stage G2 or higher (4th quartile hazard ratio = 1.7 [95% confidence interval = 1.1- 2.5]), but not for stage P2 or higher or for testicular volume >3 mL. Maternal serum concentrations of dioxin toxic equivalents were not consistently associated with the sons' pubertal onset, although a dose-related delay in pubertal onset (only for G2 or higher) was seen among boys who breast-fed for 6 months or more. CONCLUSIONS Maternal PCB serum concentrations measured 8 or 9 years after sons' births--which may reflect sons' prenatal and early-life exposures--were associated with acceleration in some, but not all, measures of pubertal onset.
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Burns JS, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Korrick SA, Lee MM, Revich B, Altshul L, Del Prato JT, Humblet O, Patterson DG, Turner WE, Starovoytov M, Hauser R. Serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and growth among Russian boys. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2012; 120:303-8. [PMID: 21984531 PMCID: PMC3279441 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1103743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Limited human data suggest an association of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) with adverse effects on children's growth. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the associations of OCPs with longitudinally assessed growth among peripubertal boys from a Russian cohort with high environmental OCP levels. METHODS A cohort of 499 boys enrolled in the Russian Children's Study between 2003 and 2005 at 8-9 years of age were followed prospectively for 4 years. At study entry, 350 boys had serum OCPs measured. Physical examinations were conducted at entry and annually. The longitudinal associations of serum OCPs with annual measurements of body mass index (BMI), height, and height velocity were examined by multivariate mixed-effects regression models for repeated measures, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS Among the 350 boys with OCP measurements, median serum hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (βHCH), and p,p´-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE) concentrations were 159 ng/g lipid, 168 ng/g lipid, and 287 ng/g lipid, respectively. Age-adjusted BMI and height z-scores generally fell within the normal range per World Health Organization standards at entry and during follow-up. However, in adjusted models, boys with higher serum HCB, βHCH, and p,p´-DDE had significantly lower mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] BMI z-scores, by -0.84 (-1.23, -0.46), -1.32 (-1.70, -0.95), and -1.37 (-1.75, -0.98), respectively, for the highest versus lowest quintile. In addition, the highest quintile of p,p´-DDE was associated with a significantly lower mean (95% CI) height z-score, by -0.69 (-1.00, -0.39) than that of the lowest quintile. CONCLUSIONS Serum OCP concentrations measured at 8-9 years of age were associated with reduced growth, particularly reduced BMI, during the peripubertal period, which may affect attainment of optimal adult body mass and height.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, 665 Huntington Ave., Building I, Room 1404E, Boston, MA 02115 USA.
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Korrick SA, Lee MM, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Patterson DG, Turner WE, Needham LL, Altshul L, Revich B, Hauser R. Dioxin exposure and age of pubertal onset among Russian boys. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2011; 119:1339-44. [PMID: 21527364 PMCID: PMC3230396 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1003102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2010] [Accepted: 04/28/2011] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal data demonstrate associations of dioxin, furan, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposures with altered male gonadal maturation. It is unclear whether these associations apply to human populations. OBJECTIVES We investigated the association of dioxins, furans, PCBs, and corresponding toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations with pubertal onset among boys in a dioxin-contaminated region. METHODS Between 2003 and 2005, 499 boys 8-9 years of age were enrolled in a longitudinal study in Chapaevsk, Russia. Pubertal onset [stage 2 or higher for genitalia (G2+) or testicular volume (TV) > 3 mL] was assessed annually between ages 8 and 12 years. Serum levels at enrollment were analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess age at pubertal onset as a function of exposure adjusted for potential confounders. We conducted sensitivity analyses excluding boys with pubertal onset at enrollment. RESULTS The median (range) total serum TEQ concentration was 21 (4-175) pg/g lipid, approximately three times higher than values in European children. At enrollment, boys were generally healthy and normal weight (mean body mass index, 15.9 kg/m2), with 30% having entered puberty by G2+ and 14% by TV criteria. Higher dioxin TEQs were associated with later pubertal onset by TV (hazard ratio = 0.68, 95% confidence interval, 0.49-0.95 for the highest compared with the lowest quartile). Similar associations were observed for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dioxin concentrations for TV but not G2+. Results were robust to sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS Findings support an association of higher peripubertal serum dioxin TEQs and concentrations with later male pubertal onset reflected in delayed testicular maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan A Korrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Bellinger DC. The protean toxicities of lead: new chapters in a familiar story. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2011; 8:2593-628. [PMID: 21845148 PMCID: PMC3155319 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph8072593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2011] [Revised: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Many times in the history of lead toxicology the view that "the problem" has been solved and is no longer a major health concern has prevailed, only to have further research demonstrate the prematurity of this judgment. In the last decade, an extraordinary amount of new research on lead has illustrated, all too clearly, that "the problem" has not disappeared, and that, in fact, it has dimensions never before considered. Recent risk assessments have concluded that research has yet to identify a threshold level below which lead can be considered "safe." Although children's intelligence has traditionally been considered to be the most sensitive endpoint, and used as the basis for risk assessment and standard setting, increased lead exposure has been associated with a wide variety of other morbidities both in children and adults, in some cases at biomarker levels comparable to those associated with IQ deficits in children. In adults, these endpoints include all-cause mortality and dysfunctions in the renal, cardiovascular, reproductive, central nervous systems. In children, IQ deficits are observed at blood lead levels well below 10 μg/dL, and the dose-effect relationship appears to be supra-linear. Other health endpoints associated with greater early-life lead exposure in children include ADHD, conduct disorder, aggression and delinquency, impaired dental health, and delayed sexual maturation. Studies employing neuroimaging modalities such as volumetric, diffusion tensor, and functional MRI are providing insights into the neural bases of the cognitive impairments associated with greater lead exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Bellinger
- Children's Hospital Boston, Farley Basement Box 127, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Laidlaw MAS, Taylor MP. Potential for childhood lead poisoning in the inner cities of Australia due to exposure to lead in soil dust. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2011; 159:1-9. [PMID: 20880621 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2010] [Revised: 07/23/2010] [Accepted: 08/18/2010] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
This article presents evidence demonstrating that the historical use of leaded gasoline and lead (Pb) in exterior paints in Australia has contaminated urban soils in the older inner suburbs of large cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. While significant attention has been focused on Pb poisoning in mining and smelting towns in Australia, relatively little research has focused on exposure to Pb originating from inner-city soil dust and its potential for childhood Pb exposures. Due to a lack of systematic blood lead (PbB) screening and geochemical soil Pb mapping in the inner cities of Australia, the risks from environmental Pb exposure remain unconstrained within urban population centres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A S Laidlaw
- Environmental Science, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Mark P Taylor
- Environmental Science, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia.
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41
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Mielke HW, Laidlaw MAS, Gonzales CR. Estimation of leaded (Pb) gasoline's continuing material and health impacts on 90 US urbanized areas. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2011; 37:248-57. [PMID: 20825992 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2010.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2010] [Revised: 06/29/2010] [Accepted: 08/10/2010] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The subject of this paper is lead (Pb) additives in gasoline and their material and health impact from Pb dust inputs into 90 US urbanized areas (UAs). The mass of Pb additives for 90 UAs as a total of the US Pb additives in 1982 were estimated from vehicle travel, vehicle fuel economy (miles/gallon), ratio of leaded to unleaded fuel, and Pb/gallon. About 500 billion (10⁹) miles of travel in 90 UA's during 1982 account for ~18,000 metric tons (MT), or nearly 30% of the US Pb additives in 1982. Applying the 1982 proportions to the 90 UAs for 1950 through 1982 fuel sales by state accounts for ~1.4 million MT Pb of the US national total of 4.6 million MT during the same years. Fates of Pb additives in engine systems were used to calculate Pb aerosol inputs into the 90 UAs. The inputs range from 100's to more than 100,000 MT of Pb depending on a given UA's traffic flow patterns. Soils are the reservoir of urban Pb dust. The median background soil Pb for the US is 16.5mg/kg (range 10.3 to 30.1mg/kg), and less by an order of magnitude or more than soil Pb within larger UAs. Recognizing the US input of massive gasoline Pb additives into UAs assists with comprehending soil Pb differences between large and small UAs, inner and outer areas of UAs, health disparities, and school achievement issues within UAs. The findings underscore the need for controlling accumulated exterior urban Pb dust from gasoline additives along with paint sources that have accumulated in soil to meet the goal of primary childhood Pb exposure prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard W Mielke
- Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Tulane University, New Orleans LA, 70112, USA.
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Burns JS, Williams PL, Sergeyev O, Korrick S, Lee MM, Revich B, Altshul L, Del Prato JT, Humblet O, Patterson DG, Turner WE, Needham LL, Starovoytov M, Hauser R. Serum dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls are associated with growth among Russian boys. Pediatrics 2011; 127:e59-68. [PMID: 21187307 PMCID: PMC3010086 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-3556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We evaluated the associations of serum dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with longitudinally assessed growth measurements among peripubertal Russian boys. METHODS A total of 499 boys from Chapaevsk, Russia, aged 8 to 9 years were enrolled in the study from 2003 to 2005 and were followed prospectively for 3 years. Blood samples were collected and physical examinations were conducted at entry and repeated at annual study visits. Multivariate mixed-effects regression models for repeated measures were used to examine the associations of serum dioxins and PCBs with longitudinal measurements of BMI, height, and height velocity. RESULTS Serum dioxin (total 2005 toxic equivalency [TEQ] median: 21.1 pg/g lipid) and PCBs (median sum of PCBs: 250 ng/g lipid) were measured in 468 boys. At study entry and during 3 years of follow-up, >50% of the boys had age-adjusted BMI and height z scores within 1 SD of World Health Organization-standardized mean values for age. Boys in the highest exposure quintile of the sum of dioxin and PCB concentrations and total TEQs had a significant decrease in mean BMI z scores of 0.67 for dioxins and TEQs and 1.04 for PCBs, compared with boys in the lowest exposure quintile. Comparison of the highest versus the lowest quintile revealed that higher serum PCB concentrations were associated with significantly lower height z scores (mean z-score decrease: 0.41) and height velocity (mean decrease: 0.19 cm/year) after 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that exposures to dioxins and PCBs are associated with reduced growth during the peripubertal period and may compromise adult body mass, stature, and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S. Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, and
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Physical Education and Health, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia; ,Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Samara Region, Russia
| | - Susan Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, and ,Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrine Division, Departments of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Boris Revich
- Centers for Demography and Human Ecology, Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Larisa Altshul
- Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc, Needham, Massachusetts
| | - Julie T. Del Prato
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, and
| | - Olivier Humblet
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, and
| | | | - Wayman E. Turner
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, Organic Analytical Toxicology Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; and
| | - Larry L. Needham
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, Organic Analytical Toxicology Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; and
| | | | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, and
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43
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Humblet O, Williams PL, Korrick SA, Sergeyev O, Emond C, Birnbaum LS, Burns JS, Altshul L, Patterson DG, Turner WE, Lee MM, Revich B, Hauser R. Predictors of serum dioxin, furan, and PCB concentrations among women from Chapaevsk, Russia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2010; 44:5633-40. [PMID: 20578718 PMCID: PMC3128795 DOI: 10.1021/es100976j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent and bioaccumulative toxic chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment. We assessed predictors of their serum concentrations among women living in a Russian town contaminated by past industrial activity. Blood samples from 446 mothers aged 23-52 years were collected between 2003-2005 as part of the Russian Children's Study. Serum dioxin, furan, and PCB concentrations were quantified using high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Potential determinants of exposure were collected through interviews. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify predictors of serum concentrations and toxic equivalencies (TEQs). The median total PCB concentrations and total TEQs were 260 ng/g lipid and 25 pg TEQ/g lipid, respectively. In multivariate analyses, both total PCB concentrations and total TEQs increased significantly with age, residential proximity to a local chemical plant, duration of local farming, and consumption of local beef. Both decreased with longer breastfeeding, recent increases in body mass index, and later blood draw date. These demographic and lifestyle predictors showed generally similar associations with the various measures of serum dioxins, furans, and PCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Humblet
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Paige L. Williams
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Susan A. Korrick
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Department of Physical Education and Health, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
- Chapaevsk Medical Association, Chapaevsk, Russia
| | - Claude Emond
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Jane S. Burns
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Larisa Altshul
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc., Needham, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Mary M. Lee
- Pediatric Endocrinology Division, Departments of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Boris Revich
- Center for Demography and Human Ecology, Institute for Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Russ Hauser
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Corresponding author: Russ Hauser, MD, ScD, MPH, Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building I, room 1405, Boston, MA 02115,
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