Age-specific reference ranges for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) based on the NHANES 2001-2002 survey

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted analyses for 34 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in blood samples collected from a statistically representative sample of the U.S. population during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and reported overall population percentiles. Because the serum concentrations of many persistent organochlorine compounds are strongly age dependent, data were analyzed from the NHANES 2001-2002 sampling cycle to identify age-specific reference ranges for the measured congeners on a lipid-adjusted serum basis. In addition, reference ranges were estimated for the sum of the 34 measured PCB congeners. Because many congeners were frequently nondetectable, estimates for summed PCB levels are dependent upon the assumption used to replace nondetectable concentrations in the calculation. The effect of nondetects on the summed congeners totals is particularly strong for younger ages. The NHANES 2001-2002 PCB serum data demonstrate strong age-related trends, with older individuals displaying higher concentrations of most congeners and of summed PCB congeners. These age-specific reference ranges for PCB concentrations are critical for accurate interpretation of measured serum concentrations of PCB congeners in individuals.