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Long-term studies of the excretion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through the mother's milk of an occupationally exposed worker

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Abstract

Long-term studies of the excretion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through the mother's milk were conducted on an occupationally exposed worker, who worked with PCBs in a capacitor factory.

PCBs level in the mother's blood was 57 ppb, a level 10 to 20 times higher than that of non-exposed persons. The other tissues and fluids obtained at time of delivery were also assayed. PCB contents in umbilicus tissues, umbilicus blood and amnion fluid were 1/5, 1/4 and 1/6, respectively, the amount found in the mother's blood.

An approximate 76% decrease in PCB levels in the milk were noted 16 months after delivery; 200 mg of PCBs were excreted in about 818 liters of milk for this 16-month period.

A detailed analysis of the individual components in PCB residues clarified the remarkable changes of the PCB pattern in the blood.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 3-69 1-Chome, Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, 537, Osaka, Japan

    T. Yakushiji, I. Watanabe, K. Kuwabara, S. Yoshida, K. Koyama, I. Hara & N. Kunita

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  1. T. Yakushiji
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  2. I. Watanabe
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  3. K. Kuwabara
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  4. S. Yoshida
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  5. K. Koyama
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  6. I. Hara
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  7. N. Kunita
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Yakushiji, T., Watanabe, I., Kuwabara, K. et al. Long-term studies of the excretion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through the mother's milk of an occupationally exposed worker. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 7, 493–504 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02332074

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02332074

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