Levels and congener profiles of halogenated persistent organic pollutants in human serum and semen at an e-waste area in South China

Yun-jiang Yu; Bi-gui Lin; Jing Qiao; Xi-chao Chen; Wan-le Chen; Liang-zhong Li; Xiao-yan Chen; Liu-yan Yang; Pan Yang; Guo-zhi Zhang; Xiu-qin Zhou; Cai-rong Chen

Environment International (May 2020)

Levels and congener profiles of halogenated persistent organic pollutants in human serum and semen at an e-waste area in South China

Yun-jiang Yu,
Bi-gui Lin,
Jing Qiao,
Xi-chao Chen,
Wan-le Chen,
Liang-zhong Li,
Xiao-yan Chen,
Liu-yan Yang,
Pan Yang,
Guo-zhi Zhang,
Xiu-qin Zhou,
Cai-rong Chen

Affiliations

Yun-jiang Yu: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China
Bi-gui Lin: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; Corresponding authors at: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China (B. Lin).
Jing Qiao: Reproductive Medicine Center, People’s Hospital of Qingyuan, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan 511518, China
Xi-chao Chen: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China
Wan-le Chen: Reproductive Medicine Center, People’s Hospital of Qingyuan, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan 511518, China
Liang-zhong Li: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China
Xiao-yan Chen: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China
Liu-yan Yang: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Pan Yang: Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of the Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Guo-zhi Zhang: Reproductive Medicine Center, People’s Hospital of Qingyuan, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan 511518, China
Xiu-qin Zhou: Reproductive Medicine Center, People’s Hospital of Qingyuan, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan 511518, China
Cai-rong Chen: Reproductive Medicine Center, People’s Hospital of Qingyuan, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan 511518, China; Corresponding authors at: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China (B. Lin).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 138

Abstract

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Typical halogenated persistent organic pollutants (Hal-POPs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), are a group of ubiquitous organic pollutants with an endocrine disrupting effect. This study evaluated the accumulation and congener profiles of Hal-POPs in the bodies of men who live/work in areas of South China where electronic wastes are collected and managed, especially in their semen samples. The results show that the detection frequency and serum concentrations of Hal-POP congeners within the high-exposure group (HEG) were higher than those of the low-exposure group (LEG). Furthermore, an identical trend was observed for the seminal plasma concentrations of Hal-POPs. The distribution characteristics, such as their mean, median, and discrete values, of PBDE congeners in serum and semen samples from the same subjects were consistent with each other. However, the distribution characteristics of PCB congeners in serum samples were different from those in semen samples. BDE153 was one of the most abundant congeners found in the serum and semen samples; hence, it can be identified as an indicator PBDE congener. Further research is needed to explore the mechanism of Hal-POPs distribution in human semen and serum samples. Keywords: Halogenated persistent organic pollutants (Hal-POPs), Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Semen, Congener profiles

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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