Reproductive Function in a Population of Young Faroese Men with Elevated Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Perfluorinated Alkylate Substances (PFAS)

Maria Petersen,Niels Jørgensen,Pál Weihe,Flemming Nielsen,Tina Jensen,Jónrit Halling,Philippe Grandjean

doi:10.3390/ijerph15091880

Abstract

Semen quality may be adversely affected by exposure to environmental chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluorinated alkylate substances (PFASs) that are persistent and may act as endocrine disrupting compounds. The aim of this study was to explore whether PCBs or PFASs exposure were associated with abnormalities in semen quality or reproductive hormones in Faroese men. This population based cross-sectional study includes 263 Faroese men (24–26 years) who delivered a semen sample for assessment of sperm concentration, total sperm count, semen volume, morphology and motility. A blood sample was drawn and analyzed for reproductive hormones, PCBs and PFASs. Exposure to ∑PCBs and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was positively associated with sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and luteinizing hormone (LH). In addition, total testosterone (T) was positively associated with ∑PCB. Both PCBs and PFOS appear to lead to increased SHBG, perhaps mediated via the liver. The higher total T associated with PCB may represent a compensatory adaption to elevated SHBG levels to maintain an unchanged free testosterone concentration. The positive association to LH for both PCBs and PFOS may indicate a direct adverse effect on the testosterone producing Leydig cells.

Highlights

In the Faroe Islands, a North Atlantic fishing community, exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluorinated alkylate substances (PFASs) are high due to the consumption of the traditional diet that includes whale meat containing PFASs and methylmercury (MeHg) and blubber containing PCBs and other lipophilic substances [1,2,3,4]
We evaluated differences in ∑PCB, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposures divided into tertiles according to characteristics of the men
PFAS followed by PFOA with median PFOA concentration of 2.77 ng/mL, ranging from 0.93 to 20.43 while median PFOS concentration was 19.52 ng/mL, ranging from 4.34 to 72.85

Summary

Introduction

In the Faroe Islands, a North Atlantic fishing community, exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluorinated alkylate substances (PFASs) are high due to the consumption of the traditional diet that includes whale meat containing PFASs and methylmercury (MeHg) and blubber containing PCBs and other lipophilic substances [1,2,3,4]. The range of exposures is unusually wide, more than 100-fold, with average PCB and MeHg exposures much higher than in any other Western population [5]. While PCB levels among the younger Faroese have. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1880; doi:10.3390/ijerph15091880 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Methods

Results