Temporal Trends of Exposure to Organochlorine Pesticides in the United States: A Population Study from 2005 to 2016

Environmental contaminants in Arctic human populations: Trends over 30 years

INTRODUCTION

Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) monitors persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels in the Arctic populations and assesses health effects related to exposure to them. Many internationally regulated POPs persist in humans and biota, while new Emerging Contaminants of Arctic Concern (ECAC), many of which are unregulated, present additional challenges. Biomonitoring offers valuable insights into temporal trends within human matrices, revealing critical information not only about the efficacy of international regulations but also serving as an early warning system for exposure and risks for human health.

METHODS

Data analyzed in this study is aggregated data presented in the AMAP Human Health in the Arctic assessments, which provide data on contaminant concentrations measured in human matrices from adults, and children across various population studies conducted in the Arctic since the 1980 s. Linear regression analyses were used to assess trends of various POPs including organochlorine (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), measured over time from the Arctic populations in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Canada and Alaska (USA).

RESULTS

Overall, decreasing trends were observed for PCBs and OCPs. Regulated PFAS showed decreasing trends, but increasing trends were observed for unregulated PFAS in certain populations. PBDEs showed decreasing or inconsistent trends in certain Arctic populations.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreasing trends are observed for legacy POPs, but the trends for new emerging contaminants are inconsistent. More focus is needed on biomonitoring the new emerging contaminants of concern in the Arctic and their implications on human health.

Association between exposure to a mixture of organochlorine pesticides and hyperuricemia in U.S. adults: A comparison of four statistical models

The association between the exposure of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and serum uric acid (UA) levels remained uncertain. In this study, to investigate the combined effects of OCP mixtures on hyperuricemia, we analyzed serum OCPs and UA levels in adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2016). Four statistical models including weighted logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS), quantile g-computation (QGC), and bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to assess the relationship between mixed chemical exposures and hyperuricemia. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential modifiers. Among 6,529 participants, the prevalence of hyperuricemia was 21.15%. Logistic regression revealed a significant association between both hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and trans-nonachlor and hyperuricemia in the fifth quintile (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.08-2.19; OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.05-2.39, respectively), utilizing the first quintile as a reference. WQS and QGC analyses showed significant overall effects of OCPs on hyperuricemia, with an OR of 1.25 (95% CI: 1.09-1.44) and 1.20 (95% CI: 1.06-1.37), respectively. BKMR indicated a positive trend between mixed OCPs and hyperuricemia, with HCB having the largest weight in all three mixture analyses. Subgroup analyses revealed that females, individuals aged 50 years and above, and those with a low income were more vulnerable to mixed OCP exposure. These results highlight the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations from OCPs and to properly evaluate the health effects of multiple exposures on hyperuricemia using mutual validation approaches.

Organochlorine pesticides and risk of papillary thyroid cancer in U.S. military personnel: a nested case-control study

BACKGROUND

The effects of organochlorine pesticide (OCP) exposure on the development of human papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) are not well understood. A nested case-control study was conducted with data from the U.S. Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) cohort between 2000 and 2013 to assess associations of individual OCPs serum concentrations with PTC risk.

METHODS

This study included 742 histologically confirmed PTC cases (341 females, 401 males) and 742 individually-matched controls with pre-diagnostic serum samples selected from the DoDSR. Associations between categories of lipid-corrected serum concentrations of seven OCPs and PTC risk were evaluated for classical PTC and follicular PTC using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for body mass index category and military branch to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Effect modification by sex, birth cohort, and race was examined.

RESULTS

There was no evidence of associations between most of the OCPs and PTC, overall or stratified by histological subtype. Overall, there was no evidence of an association between hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and PTC, but stratified by histological subtype HCB was associated with significantly increased risk of classical PTC (third tertile above the limit of detection (LOD) vs. Collapse

Key Words

• Hexachlorobenzene
• Hexachlorocyclohexane
• Organochlorine pesticides
• Papillary thyroid cancer

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MESH Headings

• Male
• Humans
• Female
• Military Personnel
• Thyroid Cancer, Papillary/epidemiology
• Hexachlorobenzene
• Case-Control Studies
• Pesticides
• Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
• Thyroid Neoplasms/chemically induced
• Thyroid Neoplasms/epidemiology
• Hexachlorocyclohexane

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Grants

• R01ES020361 NIH HHS
• R01ES020361 NIH HHS
• National Institutes of Health
• Murtha Cancer Center Research Program
• Oak Ridge Associated Universities
• National Cancer Institute Intramural Research Program

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Affiliation(s)

Jennifer A Rusiecki Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Room E-2009, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.
Jordan McAdam Murtha Cancer Center Research Program, 4494 North Palmer Road, Bethesda, MD, USA Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, USA
Hristina Denic-Roberts Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Room E-2009, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN, USA
Andreas Sjodin Division of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Mark Davis Division of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Richard Jones Division of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Thanh D Hoang Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
Mary H Ward Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
Shuangge Ma Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
Yawei Zhang Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

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Comparing Longitudinal Measures of Cholinesterase as Biomarkers for Insecticide Exposure Among Latinx Children in Rural Farmworker and Urban Nonfarmworker Communities in North Carolina

OBJECTIVE

In a 2-group prospective design, this study compared seasonal cholinesterase levels of Latinx children in rural farmworker families and comparable urban children to assess the impact of environmental exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides.

METHODS

Quarterly blood samples and passive dosimeter wristbands were collected over 2 years in 8-year-old children (74 rural, 62 urban). Laboratory analysis assessed total cholinesterase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase from blood samples, and insecticides from wristbands.

RESULTS

In spring and summer, total cholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase levels were depressed in rural children compared with winter and fall. Butyrylcholinesterase was depressed in rural children in fall compared with spring and summer. Adjustment for insecticide exposure did not affect these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Environmental exposures to cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides have measurable biochemical effects on blood cholinesterases in rural children from farmworker families.

The diabetogenic effects of pesticides: Evidence based on epidemiological and toxicological studies

While the use of pesticides has improved grain productivity and controlled vector-borne diseases, the widespread use of pesticides has resulted in ubiquitous environmental residues that pose health risks to humans. A number of studies have linked pesticide exposure to diabetes and glucose dyshomeostasis. This article reviews the occurrence of pesticides in the environment and human exposure, the associations between pesticide exposures and diabetes based on epidemiological investigations, as well as the diabetogenic effects of pesticides based on the data from in vivo and in vitro studies. The potential mechanisms by which pesticides disrupt glucose homeostasis include induction of lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, acetylcholine accumulation, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. The gaps between laboratory toxicology research and epidemiological studies lead to an urgent research need on the diabetogenic effects of herbicides and current-use insecticides, low-dose pesticide exposure research, the diabetogenic effects of pesticides in children, and assessment of toxicity and risks of combined exposure to multiple pesticides with other chemicals.

Pesticide Exposure among Latinx Children in Rural Farmworker and Urban Non-Farmworker Communities: Associations with Locality and Season

This study uses repeated measures to document the pesticide exposure of rural and urban Latinx children (age eight at baseline), and to compare these children in terms of the frequency and concentration of their exposure to a large set of pesticides, accounting for season. We used silicone wristbands worn for one week up to ten times at quarterly intervals from 2018 to 2022 to assess pesticide exposure in children from rural farmworker (n = 75) and urban non-farmworker (n = 61) families. We determined the detection and concentrations (ng/g) of 72 pesticides and pesticide degradation products in the wristbands using gas chromatography electron capture detection and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The most frequently detected pesticide classes were organochlorines, pyrethroids, and organophosphates. Controlling for season, organochlorine or phenylpyrazole detections were less likely for rural children than for urban children. Detections of organochlorines, pyrethroids, or organophosphates were lower in spring and summer versus winter. Controlling for season, urban children had greater concentrations of organochlorines, while rural children had greater concentrations of pyrethroids and Chlorpyrifos. Pesticide concentrations were lower in winter and spring compared with summer and fall. These results further document that pesticides are ubiquitous in the living environment for children in vulnerable, immigrant communities.

Organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in serum of Beijing population: Exposure and health risk assessment

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental contaminants, but large-scale human biomonitoring and health risk assessment data on these contaminants remain limited. In this study, concentrations of 6 OCPs and 5 PAHs were determined by GC-MS/MS in 1268 human serum samples which were collected from the participants in 2017 Beijing Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance. The detection frequencies of OCPs and PAHs ranged from 64.7 % to 96.5 % and 89.4 % to 99.6 %, respectively. The most abundant contaminants in OCPs and PAHs were pentachlorophenol (PCP) and pyrene (Pyr) with median concentrations reaching up to 3.13 and 8.48 μg/L, respectively. Nonparametric tests were employed to assess the correlations among contaminants levels, demographic characteristics (age, gender, body mass index, residence) and serum biochemical indexes. Significantly higher serum levels of all PAHs were observed in suburb residents than that in urban residents (P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (OR 2.17 [1.29, 3.63]), phenanthrene (OR 1.06 [1.02, 1.11]), fluoranthene (OR 1.04 [1.02, 1.07]) and Pyr (OR 1.02 [1.01, 1.03]) might increase the occurrence of hyperglycemia, and exposure to hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (OR 1.53 [1.05, 2.22]) and pentachlorobenzene (OR 1.14 [1.02, 1.27]) were positively associated with hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, the hazard quotients (HQs) for serum HCB, PCP and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene were calculated based on health-based guidance values to predict health risks. 0.2 % and 4.3 % of serum samples showed HQ values exceeding 1 for HCB and PCP, respectively, in case of the non-carcinogenic risk, while 23.1 % of HQs for HCB were above 1 in case of the carcinogenic risk for a risk level 10^-5. Our study reveals that the body burden of the Beijing general population relative to OCPs and PAHs was nonnegligible. The past exposure of HCB and PCP might adversely affect the health status of the Beijing population.

Persistent organochlorine pesticides in periprostatic adipose tissue from men with prostate cancer: Ethno-geographic variations, association with disease aggressiveness

Although several studies have examined the relationship between organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and prostate cancer (PCa) risk, no data are available concerning the association between OCPs concentrations in periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT), which reflects cumulative exposure, and PCa aggressiveness. Moreover, no previous study has compared OCPs exposure in two distinct ethno-geographical populations. The objectives were to analyze OCPs in PPAT of PCa patients from either Mainland France or French West Indies in correlation with features of tumor aggressiveness, after adjusting for potential confounders such age, BMI, and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of PPAT. PPAT was analyzed in 160 patients (110 Caucasians and 50 African-Caribbeans), 80 with an indolent tumor (ISUP group 1 + pT2), and 80 with an aggressive tumor (ISUP group more than 3 + pT3). The concentrations of 29 OCPs were measured in PPAT concomitantly with the characterization of PUFA content. Exposure patterns of OCPs differed according to the ethno-geographical origin. Most OCPs were found at higher concentration in Caucasian patients, whereas pp'-DDE content was twice as high in African-Caribbeans. Chlordecone was only detected in PPAT from African-Caribbean patients. Most OCP concentrations were positively correlated with age, and some with BMI. After adjusting for age, BMI, and PUFA composition of PPAT, no significant association was found between OCPs content and risk of aggressive disease, except of mirex which appeared inversely associated with aggressive features of PCa in Caucasian patients. These results highlight a significant ethno-geographic variation in internal exposure to OCPs, which likely reflects differences in consumption patterns. The inverse relationship observed between mirex concentration and markers of PCa aggressiveness need to be further investigated.

Association between organochlorine pesticides and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004

While endocrine disruptors are emerging as a cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), little is known about the link between NAFLD and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), one of the endocrine disruptors. We retrospectively analyzed the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004 and compared the baseline demographics in individuals according to the presence of NAFLD (fatty liver index [FLI] ≥ 60). Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether OCP concentration affected NAFLD prevalence and subgroup analyses regarding NAFLD-related variables and advanced hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4 ≥ 2.67) were performed. Of the 1515 individuals, 579 (38.2%) had NAFLD. Oxychlordane showed concentration-dependent risk for NAFLD (OR 3.471 in fourth quartile [Q4]; 95% CI 1.865-6.458; P = 0.007). p,p'-DDE and trans-nonachlor showed similar trends without statistical significance. Conversely, mirex showed the lowest risk for NAFLD in the highest concentration quartile (OR 0.29 in Q4; 95% CI 0.175-0.483; P < 0.001). Oxychlordane showed the most pronounced association with the levels of each component of FLI and liver enzymes. None of the OCPs were significantly associated with advanced fibrosis. In conclusion, among OCPs, exposure to oxychlordane showed the most prominent impact associated with NAFLD.