Population-based biomonitoring of exposure to persistent and non-persistent organic pollutants in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: results from hair analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Environmental exposure of humans to pollutants has been associated with adverse health outcomes. The assessment of human exposure to pollutants were often performed using biological fluids, but increasing interest was also observed for hair analysis. However, no study based on hair analysis has so far documented exposure in groups representative of the general population, with extended range of age, socio-demographic aspects, education, etc. in both men and women. We aimed to assess human exposure via hair analysis to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and non-persistent pesticides in a representative sample of the general adult population in Luxembourg. METHODS: We measured concentrations of 34 persistent and 33 non-persistent organic pollutants from 11 chemical families (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) and pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs)) in hair samples collected from 497 participants from the general adult population in Luxembourg during 2007-2008. RESULTS:We detected 24 persistent and 29 non-persistent organic pollutants, with 17 pollutants being detected in more than 50% of hair samples. Each participant in this study had detectable levels of at least 10 of the pollutants analyzed, and 50% of participants had 19 or more. Significant correlations were often found between pollutants from the same family, with the strongest being found between two PYR metabolites, trans/cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-carboxylic acid and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid. Sex, age and/or body mass index were significantly associated with 15 out of the 17 frequently detected pollutants. CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest the simultaneous exposure to numerous different pollutants among our study population. This research contributes to the establishment of reference range concentrations for these chemicals in the hair matrix. KEYWORDS: Exposure assessment, Pesticides, Biomarkers of exposure, Environmental epidemiology