Abstract
The effects of occupational exposure to low concentrations of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) on the urinary excretion of corticosteroid hormones were evaluated, taking into account the influence of cigarette smoking. The study included 26 males working as electrical maintenance staff in a steel factory, previously exposed to a mixture of PCBs (exposed workers), and 30 male workers with no occupational exposure to PCBs (controls). Serum PCBs (33 congeners), urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids, 17-ketosteroids (KS) and pregnanes, and their respective glucuronidated and sulfonated compounds, were determined for each subject. PCBs were significantly higher in the exposed workers than controls, and were correlated with age. Both the urinary concentrations of the total 17-KS and pregnanes, and those of some single steroids and their glucuronidated compounds, were significantly lower in the exposed workers than controls, but higher in smokers than the non-smokers + ex-smokers. Two-way analysis of variance showed a negative association between serum PCBs and both total glucuronidated 17-KS and total and glucuronidated pregnanes, and a positive association between cigarette smoking and both total and glucuronidated 17-KS. PCBs seem to act as endocrine disruptors by reducing the urinary excretion of corticosteroid hormones, particularly of the glucuronidated fraction. Cigarette smoking could boost these effects of PCBs in smokers.
Highlights
Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are chlorinated compounds consisting of 209 possible congeners, depending on the position and number of chlorine atoms on the biphenyl
The concentrations of total PCBs and of the various congeners and the sums of the six congeners were significantly higher in exposed subjects than controls, while the percentage sum was significantly higher in the controls
Similar findings were obtained when the results were expressed as units of nanograms per milliliter; in the subsequent analyses only serum PCBs expressed as units of nanograms per gram of lipids was considered
Summary
Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are chlorinated compounds consisting of 209 possible congeners, depending on the position and number of chlorine atoms on the biphenyl Owing to their unique properties of heat resistance and chemical stability, PCBs were ubiquitously used in many industrial and commercial applications as insulating fluids in electric transformers and other devices, and as additives in pesticides, flame-retardants, plastic materials and paints. Later, they were discovered to pose a public health hazard due to their toxic effects in humans and in animals, depending on the PCB congener, as well as their biomagnification in the food chain and persistence in the environment. Public Health 2016, 13, 360; doi:10.3390/ijerph13040360 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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