Plasma Levels of Persistent Organohalogens and Hormone Levels in Adult Male Humans

Abstract

In this study the authors assessed the possible relationship between high dietary exposure to persistent organohalogens (OHS) through fatty fish from the Baltic Sea and hormone levels in adult men. Blood samples were drawn from 110 men who consumed varying amounts of fish (i.e., 0-32 meals per month) for analysis of plasma levels of 18 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, 5 hydroxy-PCBs, 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethane (p,p'-DDT), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethene (p,p'-DDE), hexachlorobenzene, and 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether. In addition, plasma levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, plasma thyrotropin, free and total T3, free and total T4, and free testosterone were analyzed. The authors adjusted for age, and the only significant associations that remained were negative correlations between 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether and plasma thyrotropin (p < .001), and between pentachlorophenol and follicle-stimulating hormone (p = .04). The authors expected that there would be some significant correlations that resulted from pure chance. High consumption of organohalogen-polluted fish did not appear to affect plasma concentrations of pituitary, thyroid, or testosterone hormone levels in male adults.