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A Longitudinal Study of Trends in Blood Dioxins and Dioxin-Like Compounds Levels in Residents from Two Locations in Japan During 2002–2006

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Abstract

To investigate the recent changes in background exposure to dioxin-related compounds, the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in the blood of individual residents in Japan were repeatedly examined. Twenty-six subjects (mean age, 52.7 ± 1.8) from District A and 23 subjects (mean age, 56.1 ± 1.2) from District B were longitudinally analyzed from 2002 to 2006. District A is a rural area in Osaka prefecture, and District B is an urban area in Saitama prefecture. For the longitudinal analysis of these concentrations, we used the generalized estimating equation (GEE). The PCDD + PCDF concentrations decreased significantly between 2002 and 2006 (p < 0.0001), but the concentrations of dl-PCBs declined to a smaller degree over the 5-year period. A time × body mass index (BMI) interaction suggests that the reduction rate of blood PCDDs + PCDFs and dl-PCB concentrations in subjects with a BMI greater than the 75th percentile is lower than that of subjects with a BMI less than the 75th percentile from 2002 to 2004 over the 5-year period. From other reports on the dietary intake of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dl-PCBs in Japan, the total amount of daily dioxin intake decreased, but the percentage of dl-PCBs increased yearly in the first half of the 2000s. The reason for the difference in the 5-year change in blood concentrations between PCDDs +PCDFs and dl-PCBs may be explained by the yearly change in the dietary dioxin intake.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the members of the “Accumulation of Dioxins in Humans” committee: K. Arisawa (Tokushima University), I. Uchiyama (Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University), F. Kayama (Jichi Medical University), K. Kodama (Radiation Effects Research Foundation), H. Saitoh (Dean, Nagasaki University), H. Satoh (Graduate School of Medecine, Tohoku University), Tsuguyoshi Suzuki (Chair of the committee, Professor emeritus, Tokyo University), T. Suzuki (Principal, Kansai Medical Technology College), N. Suzuki (National Institute for Environment Studies), Y. Sumiyoshi (Roudou Eisei Fukushi Kyokai in Kanagawa), T. Sobue (National Cancer Center), C. Tohyama (Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo University), H. Tominaga (Aichi Health Promotion Foundation), M. Nagai (Saitama Medical University), H. Miyata (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Setsunan University), M. Morita (National Institute for Environment Studies/Ehime University), K. Morinaga (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan), and S. Watanabe (National Institute of Health and Nutrition). The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the Ministry of the Environment. This study was not supported by any grants. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethical Committee of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Basic Clinical Science and Public Health, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa, 259-1193, Japan

    Hiroyuki Furuya

  2. Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, 329-0498, Japan

    Hiroyuki Furuya & Fujio Kayama

  3. Ministry of the Environment, Chiyodaku, 100-8975, Japan

    Manabu Hasegawa

  4. Study Group on the Accumulation of Dioxins in Humans, Chiyodaku, 100-8975, Japan

    Fujio Kayama & Masaki Nagai

  5. Kansai Medical College, 3-11-1 Asahigaoka, Kasiwabara, Osaka, 582-0026, Japan

    Takaichiro Suzuki

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  1. Hiroyuki Furuya
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  2. Fujio Kayama
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  4. Masaki Nagai
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  5. Takaichiro Suzuki
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Correspondence to Fujio Kayama.

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Furuya, H., Kayama, F., Hasegawa, M. et al. A Longitudinal Study of Trends in Blood Dioxins and Dioxin-Like Compounds Levels in Residents from Two Locations in Japan During 2002–2006. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 58, 892–900 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-009-9437-1

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