Fish consumption is an indicator of exposure to non-dioxin like polychlorinated biphenyls in cumulative risk assessments based on a probabilistic and sensitive approach.

The health effects of non-dioxin like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs) include liver, immune, neurodevelopmental, and neurobehavioral effects in addition to hormone alteration. Among 209 PCB congeners, six indicator PCBs (ICES-6) account for about half of NDL-PCBs present in feed and food. The objectives of the current study were first to examine the levels of total PCBs, NDL-PCBs, and ICES-6 PCBs in 200 foods commonly consumed in Taiwan and, second, to estimate the cumulative health risks of NDL-PCB consumption. We suggest a risk management strategy that identifies foodstuffs with particularly high NDL-PCB content. In 200 food samples, which were grouped into 12 categories and 64 food types, 51 PCB congeners were detected. The concentrations of ICES-6 PCBs in all samples were lower than the maximum levels for NDL-PCBs in foodstuffs set by the European Union. PCB-153, PCB-138, and PCB-180 were the major congeners in all food, indicating that the food was contaminated in the past. ICES-6 PCBs contributed 42.2%-52.9% of total NDL-PCBs in all tested foodstuffs. The average estimated daily intake (EDI) of PCBs ranged from 1.22 ng/kg bw/day to 2.89 ng/kg bw/day in different age groups (95th quantile [P95]: 4.12-10.28 ng/kg bw/day). The P95 EDI in 3-6-year-olds was higher than 10 ng/kg/day. A qualitative sensitivity analysis in ICES-6 PCBs exposure showed that for the 3- to 6-year-old group, the highest sensitivity was how much fish they ate (37.6%) and its concentration (32.5%). The consumption of pork, eggs, fish, and other seafood accounts for over 90% of ICES-6 PCBs intake, and these foods should be highlighted in guidelines regarding NDL-PCB intake.

Oxidative damage in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer co-exposed to phthalates and to trace elements.

Evidence indicates that prostates exposed to environmental endocrine disruptors and trace metals will cause adverse health outcomes. We assessed the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and serum trace metal levels, and oxidative damage in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients, prostate cancer (PCa) patients, and healthy controls. Levels of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) were significantly higher in BPH patients than in controls, and mercury (Hg) was highest in PCa patients. An Hg level >1 µg/L posed a significant risk (OR: 42.86, 95% CI: 1.092-1684) for PCa, but a zinc (Zn) level >1 µg/L was marginally negative (OR: 0.979, 95% CI: 0.957-1.002). We also found strong associations between PCa and mono-isononyl phthalate (MiNP), and between BPH and mono-isodecyl phthalate (MiDP), malonyldialdehyde (MDA) were significantly higher in PCa and BPH patients than in controls; 8­hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8­OH­dG) and DNA strand breakage were highest in BPH patients and lowest in controls. When the prostate was simultaneously co-exposed to phthalates and trace metals, phthalates had a less significant effect on PCa and BPH. Thus, we hypothesize that, for patients with prostate disease, exposure to trace metals is more significant than is exposure to phthalates.