Epidemiologic Studies of PCB congener Profiles in North American Fish Consuming Populations

Authors

Arthur Chiu, National Center for Environment AssessmentFollow
Jefferson Beaubier, US Environmental Protection Agency
Jessica Chiu, University of Pennsylvania
Laurie Chan, McGill University
Shawn Gerstenberger, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2004

Publication Title

Journal of Environmental Science and Health

Volume

C22

Issue

1

First page number:

13

Last page number:

36

Abstract

Long range atmospheric and stream transport and oceanic currents drive the ecologic process of PCB deposition in the abiotic environment. In contrast short range transport via bioaccumulation–biomagnification up the food chain determines PCB congener profiles and concentrations and their adverse effects in biological organisms. Two research approaches to congeners, with potential to associate specific adverse human health effects with PCB concentrations in indigenous small populations, are summarized in this study. The field epidemiologic approach includes giving questionnaires to target population groups in conjunction with sampling for PCBs (and selected persistent organic pollutants and metals), in foods purchased or hunted and collected by Inuit peoples. Direct determination of contaminant levels in food sources and among individuals in selected comparative subpopulations is also presented.

Keywords

Arctic Regions; Bioaccumulation; Biomagnification; Congener profiles; Ecotoxicity; Epidemiology; Fish as food; Fish consumption; Food – Toxicology; Food of animal origin – Toxicology; Food chains (Ecology); Indians of North America; Inuit; Inuits; Native North Americans; Ortho congeners; (PCBs); Polychlorinated biphenyls – Bioaccumulation

Disciplines

Environmental Health | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Sciences | Food Science | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology | Toxicology

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited

Repository Citation

Chiu, A., Beaubier, J., Chiu, J., Chan, L., Gerstenberger, S. (2004). Epidemiologic Studies of PCB congener Profiles in North American Fish Consuming Populations. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, C22(1), 13-36.