Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls levels in human breast milk from different regions of Turkey.

Human breast milk offers the optimal nutrition for all infants and have been widely used in biomonitoring programs to assess human exposure to lipophylic environmental contaminants such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). There are no previous reports from Turkey on chemically determined levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs in human breast milk expressed as World Health Organization (WHO) toxic equivalents (TEQ). To get an overview of the levels of these contaminants in Turkish human milk, samples from 51 Turkish women living in the Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Kahramanmaras, and Afyon provinces were analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) throughout 2007. The mean concentrations of WHO(PCDD/F-)TEQ and WHO(PCB-)TEQ of all samples from the five regions were 7.5 and 3.1 pg g(-1) on a lipid basis, respectively. PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 0.78 and 29.3 pg WHO-TEQ g(-1) fat (1.7 and 36.2 pg WHO-TEQ g(-1) fat, respectively, including PCB). Of the five studied locations, the lowest levels of sigmaTEQs (PCDD/F+PCB) were found in the Afyon (6.8 pg WHO-TEQ g(-1) fat) and the highest in the Antalya (15.6 pg WHO-TEQ g(-1) fat) province. The results have been discussed in terms of regions and PCDD/F and PCBs for which analyses had been made. The mean levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in Turkish human milk are comparable to that found in other countries.

Simultaneous monitoring of profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in contaminated air with semipermeable membrane devices and spruce needles.

Gaseous emissions of combusted electronic scrap, PVC, carpet and wood were monitored for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by simultaneous use of semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and shoots of spruce needles (Picea abies). It was found that phenanthrene, acenaphthylene and fluorene were the dominating PAHs in all samples. SPMDs and needles mainly sequestered PAH associated with the vapor phase. Particle-bound PAHs were only detected in small amounts, at which the needles tended to uptake more of these compounds in comparison to the SPMDs. Nevertheless, the logarithm of the concentrations of PAHs analyzed in both passive samplers after the same sampling period exhibited a significant linear correlation with correlation coefficients larger than 0.8073. SPMDs and spruce needles can complement each other in passive air sampling for compounds with a preference to the gas phase rather than aerosols.

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like PCBs in adipose tissue of infertile men.

Some epidemiological studies suggested the occurrence of an alteration in the male reproductive function in the past 50 years, particularly a decrease in the sperm count and quality, an increase in the malformations frequency of the reproductive apparatus (cryptorchidism and hypospadias) and of testicular cancers. Especially according the laboratory animals studies, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) have been suspected to play a crucial and deleterious role in the alteration of human fertility. For this reason, we measured adipose tissue concentrations of PCDDs/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in 23 fertile and 22 infertile men living in Ankara, Turkey. Adipose tissue samples were analyzed for PCDD/F and 12 dioxin-like PCB congeners using high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry. For the fertile and infertile groups, the World Health Organization (WHO)(PCDD/F)-TEQ concentrations ranged from 3.0 to 15.8 pg/g fat and from 2.8 to 17.2 pg/g fat, respectively (4.4-31.5 and 4.7-22.3 WHO-TEQs/g fat, respectively, including dioxin-like PCBs) (p > 0.05). The mean concentrations of WHO(PCDD/F)-TEQ and WHO(PCB)-TEQ have been calculated as 7.2 and 12.5 pg/g (on a lipid basis) for the fertile group and 7.0 and 9.4 pg/g for the infertile group, respectively. Concentrations of each of the PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB congeners were compared in fertile and infertile groups among themselves, and no statistical significance was obtained (p > 0.05), except 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (p = 0.0029) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-octachlorodibenzofuran (p = 0.01).

Simultaneous monitoring of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in contaminated air with semipermeable membrane devices and fresh spruce needles.

The contaminated air with burning plastic floor and electronic scrap was monitored with semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and fresh unpolluted spruce needles at the same time for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). It was found that there were more polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) than polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) collected from contaminated air. The total amounts of PCBs were much higher than that of PCDD/Fs, but the contribution of them to the WHO-TEQ was less than that of PCDD/Fs. Triolein-containing SPMDs can absorb much more PCDD/Fs and PCBs than spruce needles when they were exposed in contaminated air simultaneously. The logarithm of the concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in SPMDs and in spruce needles at the same sampling time exhibited a significant linear correlation, the correlation coefficients were larger than 0.86 for PCDD/Fs and 0.92 for PCBs. SPMDs and spruce needles are effective passive air sampler for PCDD/Fs and PCBs. SPMDs and spruce needles can complement each other in passive air sampling.

Concentration of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dioxin-like PCBs in human adipose tissue from Turkish men.

There is no previous report from Turkey on chemically determined polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human tissues expressed as World Health Organization (WHO) toxic equivalents (TEQs). The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of PCDDs/Fs, and dioxin-like PCBs in the general adult Turkish population. For this reason we measured adipose tissue concentrations of PCDDs/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in 23 Turkish men living in Ankara,Turkey in 2004. PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 3.2 and 19.7 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat (5.34 and 42.7 WHO-TEQ/g fat, respectively, including dioxin-like PCBs). The mean concentrations of WHO(PCDD/F)-TEQ and WHO(PCB)-TEQ were 9.2 and 6.67 pg/g on a lipid basis , respectively. Samples were analyzed for PCDD/F and twelve dioxin-like PCB congeners using high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). This study is very important since it is the first report on PCDDs/Fs and dioxin-like PCB contamination in human adipose tissue from Turkey.

Concentration measurements of PCDD/F in air and spruce needles in the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest (Sumava): first results.

The aim of this project was to assess the concentration ranges of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in air by means of active and passive sampling devices located in remote areas along the southern part of the German-Czech border. During the measuring program we also used spruce needles of different ages as biomonitors. The first results, which are restricted to PCDD/F measurements, indicate that the concentrations in both air and needles measured at four sites in the Bavarian Forest and Sumava crest region are lower than in many other regions of Bavaria and lower than during former measuring campaigns in adjacent regions of Austria and Bohemia. There is no apparent reason for the higher contamination by dioxins and furans in South Bohemia ecosystems, which are far from emission centers in central and northern Czech Republic. Other POPs will be investigated in the future.