Residue profiles of organohalogen compounds in human serum from e-waste recycling sites in North Vietnam: Association with thyroid hormone levels

Abstract

This study demonstrated the contamination levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hydroxylated PCBs (OH-PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs), hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs), and bromophenols (BPhs), and their relationships with thyroid hormones (THs), in the serum of human donors from an e-waste recycling site and a rural site in Hung Yen province, Vietnam. Occupationally related exposure was indicated by significantly higher residue levels of PCBs, OH-PCBs, PBDEs, and BPhs in the serum of donors from the e-waste recycling site (median: 420, 160, 290, and 300pgg−1 wet wt, respectively) than those in the serum of donors from the rural site (median: 290, 82, 230, and 200pgg−1 wet wt, respectively). On the other hand, levels of OH-/MeO-PBDEs were significantly higher in serum of donors from the reference site (median: 160 and 20pgg−1 wet wt, respectively) than in those from the e-waste recycling site (median: 43 and 0.52pgg−1 wet wt, respectively). In addition, we implemented stepwise generalized linear models to assess the association between the levels of TH and PCBs, PBDEs, and their related compounds. In females, we found positive associations of PCBs and OH-PCB concentrations with total thyroxine, free thyroxine, total triiodothyronine, and free triiodothyronine, and a negative association with thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations.