The combined effect of persistent organic pollutants in the serum POP mixture in Greenlandic Inuit: xenoestrogenic, xenoandrogenic and dioxin-like transactivities.

ABSTRACT

Greenlandic Inuit have high body burden of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). We analyzed the combined effect of the actual lipophilic serum POP mixture on estrogen-, androgen- and aryl hydrocarbon-receptor functions as effect biomarkers, and the associations between the effect biomarkers and serum POPs, and lifestyle characteristics. The serum POPs were extracted from 232 Inuit from Ittoqqortoormiit, Narsaq and Qeqertarsuaq. The POP-related receptor transactivities correlated negatively to the POP levels and were associated to the lifestyle characteristics. The POP-related receptor transactivities can be used as effect biomarkers. The serum POPs have hormone disruptive potentials.