PCB levels in food and the dietary intake of PCBs from food grown in a contaminated region in Bela Krajina (Slovenia, Yugoslavia) are reported. A large variation in the contribution of PCB congeners to total PCB levels in food of animal and leafy vegetable origin was found. Although guidelines for PCB tolerances exist only for food of animal origin, it was estimated that leafy vegetables and unpeeled fruits from the contaminated region present a significant source of human exposure to PCBs. PCB residues in fish and eggs exceeded the tolerances set by the FDA. Utilizing the official statistical data on food consumption, the dietary intake of PCBs from food of animal origin decreased from 1985 to 1988 from 14.5 to 1.6 mg/year per person, respectively, after the use of PCBs ceased in the nearby plant. The dietary intake in 1988 of PCBs from foodstuffs of vegetable origin and fruits was 4.6 mg/year per person. The quantitation of PCBs was made from the sum of 36 individual PCB congeners, obtained by high resolution gas chromatography with an electron capture detector.

Diet↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Polychlorinated biphenyls cause developmental enamel defects in children.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on developing dental enamel. 202 8- to 14-year-old children who were pre- and post-natally exposed to PCBs in the contaminated region of Bela Krajina, Slovenia, were studied. 202 controls from Brsljin were matched for age and sex. Risk assessment was based on the concentrations of toxic PCB congeners in the diet. Levels of PCBs in dentine were used to validate exposure. PCB levels were analysed by high-resolution gas chromatography. The prevalence of developmental defects of enamel was assessed using the FDI Index. Developmental defects of enamel in permanent teeth were found in 71.3% of exposed children, compared to 49.5% in the control group. The enamel was abnormal in 21.9% of the permanent index teeth of exposed children and in 12.7% of the control children. The difference was statistically significant (chi(2) = 84.18; p = 0.0019), mostly on account of demarcated opacities and hypoplasia. The extent of the defects was also greater in the exposed group (chi(2) = 61.3; p = 0.0001). No significant correlations were found between PCB exposure and developmental defects in deciduous teeth. In conclusion, our results showed that long-term exposure to PCBs may cause developmental defects of enamel.

Adolescent↗