Sperm DNA integrity in relation to exposure to environmental perfluoroalkyl substances – A study of spouses of pregnant women in three geographical regions.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) can interfere with male reproductive function, but evidence in humansis limited. Six hundred four fertilemen(199 from Greenland, 197 from Poland and 208 from Ukraine) wereenrolled in the study. We measured four PFASs in serum (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS) and concurrentDNA damage in spermatozoa by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, apoptotic markers in semen (Fas-receptorand Bcl-xL), and reproductive hormones in serum. No association between PFASs and SCSA, apoptoticmarkers or reproductive hormones emerged.Weobserved a slight increase in SHBG and TUNEL-positivitywith increased PFOA exposure in men from Greenland. Thus, consistent evidence that PFAS exposureinterferes with sperm DNA fragmentation, apoptosis or reproductive hormones was not found

Fetal loss and maternal serum levels of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorbiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE) exposure: a cohort study in Greenland and two European populations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the present study, the aim is to examine the risk of fetal loss related to environmental 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) or 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(<it>p</it>-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE) exposure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We related LC/MS/MS measurements of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE in serum samples to interview-data on previous fetal loss in populations of pregnant women from Poland, Ukraine and Greenland.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total, 1710 women were interviewed, and 678 of these had at least one previous pregnancy. The risk of ever experiencing a fetal loss increased at higher levels of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE exposure, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.4; confidence interval (CI) (1.1-5.5) for CB-153>200 ng/g lipid compared to 0-25 ng CB-153/g lipid and OR of 2.5 CI (0.9-6.6) for p,p'-DDE>1500 ng/g lipid compared to 0-250 ng DDE/g lipid. However, no clear dose response associations were observed. The results further suggest that high level of organochlorine serum concentrations may be related to repeated loss.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The risk of fetal loss may increase at higher levels of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE exposure, although lack of dose response and inconsistencies between countries did not allow for firm conclusions.</p

Association of maternal serum concentrations of 2,2', 4,4'5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE) levels with birth weight, gestational age and preterm births in Inuit and European populations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epidemiological studies on the association between maternal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and fetal growth alteration report inconsistent findings which weights in favor of additional studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples were collected from interviewed pregnant women in Greenland (572), Kharkiv (611) and Warsaw (258) and were analyzed for CB-153 and p,p'-DDE by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Data on birth weight, gestational age and preterm birth were obtained for 1322 singleton live births. We examined the association between natural log-transformed serum POPs concentration and birth weight and gestational age using multiple linear regression and the association with prematurity using logistic regression controlling for potential confounding factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median serum concentrations of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE were for Inuit mothers 105.6 and 298.9, for Kharkiv mothers 27.0 and 645.4 and for Warsaw mothers 10.7 and 365.2 ng/g lipids, respectively. Increase in CB-153 concentration by one unit on the log scale in Inuit mothers serum was associated with significant decrease in infant birth weight of -59 g and gestational age by -0.2 week. Decreases observed in the cohorts in Kharkiv (-10 g and -0.1 week) and in Warsaw (-49 g and -0.2 week) were not statistically significant. Increase in p,p'-DDE concentration by one unit on the log scale was associated with a statistically significant decrease in infant birth weight of -39.4 g and -104.3 g and shortening of gestational age of -0.2 week and -0.6 week in the Inuit and Warsaw cohorts, respectively. In the Kharkiv cohort decrease in birth weight (-30.5 g) was not significant, however a shortening of gestational age of -0.2 week per increase in p,p'-DDE concentration by one unit on the log scale was of the borderline significance. There was no significant association between CB-153 and p,p'-DDE concentrations and risk of preterm birth however, in all cohorts the odds ratio was above 1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>In utero </it>exposure to POPs may reduce birth weight and gestational age of newborns however, new insights as to why results vary across studies were not apparent.</p

Exponering för kemiska bekämpningsmedel hos landsbygdsbefolkning i Skåne 2010-11. : Rapport till Naturvårdsverket 2011

Såväl allmänbefolkning som vissa yrkesarbetande exponeras för kemiska bekämpningsmedel (BM), allmänbefolkning främst genom födan, särskilt färska frukter och grönsaker. Analys av exponeringsbiomarkörer för BM i t ex urin ger ett tillförlitligt mått på hela kroppsbelastningen och utgör ett gott komplement till andra sätt att uppskatta befolkningens exponering. Arbets- och miljömedicin i Lund har med Naturvårdsverkets stöd tidigare med hjälp av LC/MS/MS undersökt halter av BM i dygns- alternativt morgonurin hos befolkning i Skåne. Nu har exponeringen undersökts också hos 79 boende på landsbygden, som lämnat ett morgonurinprov. En mindre grupp lämnade ytterligare urinprover vid tillfällen när BM antogs ha spridits på närliggande åkrar. Deltagarna besvarade också enkäter med frågor om matvanor och livsstil. De BM som studerades var: 2,4-diklorfenoxiättiksyra (2,4-D), 3,4- dikloranilin (3,4-DKA, metabolit till anilider), 3,5-dikloranilin (3,5-DKA, metabolit till dikarboximider), etylenthiourea (ETU, metabolit till etylenbisdithiokarbamater), 4-klor-2-metylfenoxiättiksyra (MCPA), hydroxi-MCPA (HMCPA, metabolit till MCPA), 2,4,5- triklorfenoxiättiksyra (2,4,5-T), 3-fenoxibensylsyra (3-PBA, metabolit till pyretroider) samt 2,4,6-triklorfenoxiättiksyra (2,4,6-T, metabolit till prokloraz) och O,O dietyl-O-(3,5,6-triklor-2-pyridyl)thiofosfat (=triklorpyridinol=TCP, metabolit till klorpyrifos), klormekvatklorid (CCC) och mepikvat. Analysmetodernas detektionsgränser var mellan 0,1 och 1,0 ng/mL. CCC och mepikvat används i Sverige vid odling av råg och prydnadsväxter, i andra länder också till andra produkter. Nästan alla deltagare hade egen brunn och använde brunnsvattnet till dricksvatten och bostäder var mestadels belägna nära åkermark. 13% använde v b BM i yrket och 21% bejakade hemanvändning. Alla biomarkörerna kunde påvisas men för några medel i något olika frekvens jämfört med våra tidigare undersökta urbana grupper: Något lägre andel hade rester av de fungicida medlen 3,5-DKA och ETU men något högre andel av insekticidmetaboliten 3-PBA och herbiciden MCPA. Bland de nu undersökta boende på landsbygden fanns indikationer på små skillnader i urinhalter av några BM som relaterade till ålder, vinkonsumtion och kanske till boende nära besprutade åkrar. Retarderingsmedlen CCC och mepikvat undersöktes även i 100 tidigare insamlade prover från en stadsbefolkning. CCC fanns hos samtliga undersökta från landsbygd och stad och mepikvat hos nästan alla

Interactions between polymorphisms in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor signalling pathway and exposure to persistent organochlorine pollutants affect human semen quality.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may affect male reproductive function. Many dioxin-like POPs exert their effects by activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signalling pathway. We analysed whether gene–environment interactions between polymorphisms in AHR (R554K) and AHR repressor (AHRR P185A) and serum levels of markers of POP exposure 1,1-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethene ( p,p -DDE) and 2,2 ,4,4 ,5,5 -hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) are associated with 21 parameters of male reproductive function in 581 proven-fertile European and Greenlandic men. In Greenlandic men, AHR variants significantly modified the association between serum levels of both p,p -DDE and CB-153 and inhibin B levels, sperm chromatin integrity, and seminal zinc levels. In the total cohort, interactions between AHRR variants and serum levels of CB-153 were associated with sperm chromatin integrity and the expression of the pro-apoptotic marker protein Fas. The data indicate that susceptibility to adverse effects of POP exposure on male reproductive function is dependent on polymorphisms in genes involved in AHR signallin