Comparison by Race and Ethnicity of Endocrine Disrupting Chemical levels in the U.S. Military

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Prior studies reported racial/ethnic (R/E) differences in serum concentrations of polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs), an endocrine disrupting chemical class including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). We investigated R/E differences in PHAH serum concentrations in members of the U.S. military. METHODS: Serum samples, obtained 1994-2010, for 742 active-duty military personnel were analyzed by ICP mass-spectrometry. We compared serum concentration levels of 14 PCBs, 4 PBDEs, 1 PBB, and 5 OCPs, for which at least 40% of samples had detectable values. We used a multiple imputation method to replace values below the detection limit. Age-adjusted geometric means (aaGMs) of serum concentrations (ng/g-lipid) of these analytes were compared by R/E between the 467 (66.0%) non-Hispanic (NH) whites (reference), 132 (18.6%) NH blacks, 68 (9.6%) Hispanics, and 41 Asians/Pacific Islanders (APIs) (5.8%) using generalized linear models. RESULTS:The mean participant age was 27.3 (SD=7.4) years. Compared to NH whites, NH blacks had higher aaGMs for all PCBs, while Hispanics had lower aaGMs. PBDE aaGMs were generally higher among NH blacks and Hispanics than NH whites; APIs also had lower levels. For OCPs, APIs had the highest levels of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). Yet, Hispanics had the highest levels of DDT’s major metabolite, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). NH blacks had the highest levels of trans-nonachlor and oxychlordane, while NH whites had the highest levels of hexachlorobenzene. Most differences in aaGMs by R/E were statistically significant (p0.05). CONCLUSIONS:This study found differences in serum concentrations of several endocrine disrupting chemicals by R/E among military personnel. Studies are needed to investigate if these differences exist at entry into the military or are associated with military exposures. Disclaimer: The opinions here are the authors’ and do not reflect the official views of the Uniformed Services University or the Department of Defense. KEYWORDS: Endocrine disrupting chemicals, Pesticides, Chemical exposures, Occupational exposures