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PCB contamination assessment of yusho patients by using preserved human umbilical cord
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Setsunan, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. aozasa@pharm.setsunan.ac.jp
Insights
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in umbilical cords surged dramatically around 1970, coinciding with the Yusho incident. Both Yusho patients and healthy individuals showed similarly high PCB concentrations, indicating widespread environmental exposure.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Human Health
Background:
- The Yusho incident involved mass poisoning by PCBs in Japan.
- PCBs are persistent organic pollutants with known health risks.
- Umbilical cord tissue serves as a valuable biomarker for prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify historical polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in human umbilical cord samples.
- To assess PCB exposure levels in relation to the Yusho incident.
- To compare PCB levels between Yusho patients and healthy control groups.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 12 different dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCB) isomers.
- Measurement of DL-PCB concentrations in umbilical cord samples from different birth years.
- Comparison of DL-PCB levels between Yusho patients and healthy subjects.
Main Results:
- Total DL-PCB concentrations in umbilical samples ranged from 130 to 12,000 pg/g.
- PCB levels were approximately 700 pg/g in 1950, rising significantly in the mid-1960s.
- Peak DL-PCB concentrations reached about 12,000 pg/g between 1968-1970, with similar maximum levels observed in both Yusho patients and healthy subjects.
Conclusions:
- The Yusho incident was associated with a sharp increase in prenatal PCB exposure.
- Widespread environmental contamination led to high PCB levels in both affected and unaffected populations.
- Umbilical cord analysis reveals significant historical PCB exposure impacting general populations.
Abstract:
PCB concentrations in umbilical cord preserved from the time when Yusho patients and healthy subjects gave birth were examined. The total concentration of the 12 DL-PCB isomers ranged from 130 to 12,000 pg/g in the umbilical samples, was about 700 pg/g around 1950 but began to increase in the mid 1960s, reached about 12,000 pg/g between 1968 and 1970 immediately after the Yusho incident. However, the DL-PCB concentration was high between 1968 and 1970 in not only the designated Yusho patients but also healthy subjects, and the maximum DL-PCB concentration was close between the two groups.
