RESUMEN
This paper describes a method for the simultaneous determination of 284 environmental contaminants, including 57 pesticides, 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 3 phthalate esters (PAEs), in adipose tissue samples. For the first time, a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method following a homogenised extraction using acetonitrile and purification by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used. Various performance characteristics, such as the limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), linear range, recovery and precision, were determined for each analyte. The LOD for most analytes was below 0.01 mg/kg. The recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were determined by spiking untreated samples with the analytes at the LOQ, 2×LOQ and 4×LOQ levels. The average recovery for most pesticides was between 70% and 120% and the precision values, expressed as RSD, were all below 20.4% (n=6). This method may provide an efficient tool for evaluating the extent of exposure to organic contaminants using human adipose tissue.
Asunto(s)
Tejido Adiposo/química , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas/métodos , Plaguicidas/análisis , Ácidos Ftálicos/análisis , Bifenilos Policlorados/análisis , Hidrocarburos Policíclicos Aromáticos/análisis , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Animales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Porcinos , Espectrometría de Masas en TándemRESUMEN
Food consumption is one of the key exposure routes of humans to contaminants. This article evaluated the residue levels of 51 pesticides and 16 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in selected fish and food items which were commonly consumed in the Nantong area of Jiangsu Province, Southeast China. The 51 pesticides and 16 PCBs were analyzed by highly sensitive gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed that organochlorine pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and mirex and other pesticides including chlorpyrifos, pyrethroid pesticides, metolachlor, pyridaben and trifluralin were frequently detected in the samples, which was consistent with the accumulation level and characteristics of these toxic chemicals in human adipose tissue of people living in Nantong. Meanwhile, correlation of the residue level of toxic chemicals with their physical chemical properties and historic use pattern in Nantong area was observed. Combined with dietary survey results at the same sampling locations, human health risk assessment of ingestion through the dietary route was performed. The results suggested that the non-cancer risks of the chemicals investigated can be considered negligible in the Nantong area, however, the cancer risks from lifetime dietary exposure to DDTs and HCB have exceeded the acceptable levels.
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Contaminación de Alimentos , Plaguicidas/química , Bifenilos Policlorados/química , Medición de Riesgo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/química , Animales , Bivalvos , China , Encuestas sobre Dietas , Peces , Humanos , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidadRESUMEN
This paper presents a comprehensive study of pesticide levels and bio-accumulation characteristics in human adipose tissues among residents of Southeast China. A large number of adipose samples (n=633) were selected for 58 pesticides and were analyzed by high sensitive Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed that POPs pesticides were frequently detected, including 2,4'-DDD, 2,4'-DDE, 2,4'-DDT, 4,4'-DDD, 4,4'-DDE, 4,4'-DDT, α-HCH, ß-HCH, γ-HCH, δ-HCH, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and mirex. Other detected pesticide species were dicofol, methamidophos and chlordimeform, which have rarely been reported. Comparing to different countries, the concentrations of total DDT and HCH in these three Chinese southeastern sites were in the middle range, whereas the HCB and mirex were in the lower end. A significant correlation was observed between region as well as age and POPs pesticide levels. Some pesticide residue levels were also found significantly correlated to occupation. However, there was no significant correlation between gender and pesticides. Meanwhile, it is interesting to find that mortality of malignant tumors tends to associate with the pesticides levels in human adipose tissue. More importantly, the measured data presented in this study provide realistic information which is useful for assessing human exposure to pesticides in the general population of Southeast China.
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Tejido Adiposo/metabolismo , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/análisis , Contaminantes Ambientales/metabolismo , Plaguicidas/metabolismo , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , China , DDT/metabolismo , Diclorodifenil Dicloroetileno/metabolismo , Diclorodifenildicloroetano/metabolismo , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Hexaclorobenceno/metabolismo , Hexaclorociclohexano/metabolismo , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Medición de Riesgo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
This paper presents a comprehensive study of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels and homologue profiles in human adipose tissues among residents of Southeast China. A large number of samples (n = 303) were selected for a number of PCB congeners (n = 62) which were analyzed by highly sensitive gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The total mean PCB concentrations were 27.2 microg/kg fat (n = 159) in Anhui Province and 17.2 microg/kg fat (n = 144) in Jiangsu Province. A significant correlation was observed between age and PCB levels but not found between gender and PCB levels. The relationship between the environmental contaminant levels and the PCB concentration in adipose tissue was also investigated. It was found that the higher PCB concentrations in human adipose tissue were associated with the higher environmental PCB levels in the corresponding regions. The PCB homologue profiles of the human adipose tissue in China are different from those in the world, similarly to the different PCB homologue pattern between Chinese and global soils. The concept of the urban fractionation effect in the environment may be applicable to explain the PCB homologue profiles and PCB levels in the human adipose tissues collected from different provinces in China. The data presented in this study can provide useful information on human exposures to PCBs in the general population of Southeast China.
Asunto(s)
Tejido Adiposo/química , Bifenilos Policlorados/análisis , China , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Humanos , Espectrometría de Masas en TándemRESUMEN
BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: Endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide (OCP), is genotoxic in mammalian cells and generally considered to be toxic and classified by the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants and a nominator for inclusion in a future iteration of the persistent organic pollutants treaty. Endosulfan is a currently used pesticide and still being used worldwide. The general trend of total global endosulfan use has increased continuously since the first year when this pesticide was applied. It is critical to create national endosulfan usage/emission inventories for China to carry out source-receptor relation analysis, risk assessment, and other research related to endosulfan in this country. Chinese inventories have been published for some OCPs, such as technical HCH and lindane, DDT, and chlordane; for endosulfan, however, there has not been any usage inventory available on any scales (national or provincial), although endosulfan has been widely used since 1994 in this country. This is the first part of the work. The goal of this paper is to quantify the historical production and usage of endosulfan in China and to compile gridded historical usage inventories of endosulfan for this country. Based on these usage inventories, emission and residue inventories will be created, which is the goal of the second part of the work. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Due to the lack of national production and usage information of endosulfan in China, a method to estimate the use of endosulfan was developed. First, information of crops on which endosulfan is applied and average endosulfan use and annual application frequencies of endosulfan on these crops were collected. Secondly, usage of endosulfan on each crop was estimated using the national cropland area for each province from Chinese government reports. Finally, with the help of GIS (geographic information system), the usage data of this insecticide was allocated to a grid system, with a 1/4 degrees longitude by 1/6 degrees latitude resolution, with a size for each grid cell of approximately 25 km by 25 km. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The use of endosulfan in agriculture in China started on cotton in 1994, and on wheat, tea, tobacco, apples, and other fruits in 1998. Endosulfan usage on cotton, wheat, tea, tobacco, and apples in China has been estimated to be approximately 25,700 t between 1994 and 2004. The province with the highest usage of endosulfan is Henan Province, with a total usage reaching 4,000 t, followed by the uses in Xinjiang Autonomous Region (3,200 t), Shandong Province (3,000 t), Hebei Province (2,100 t), and Anhui Province (1,900 t). Gridded usage inventories of endosulfan at a 1/4 degrees longitude by 1/6 degrees latitude resolution have been created, which indicate that the intensive endosulfan use was in the south of Hebei Province, west of Shandong Province, east of Henan Province, north of Anhui Province, east of Jiangsu Province, and some areas in Yunnan Province and Xinjiang Autonomous Region. General agreement has been found between the usage data from our estimation and the small amount of usage data published in China. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first national gridded endosulfan usage inventory produced for China. The annual applications of endosulfan from 1994 to 2004 in China were estimated based on the total areas of major crops, on which endosulfan was applied, and spatial distribution of the application was generated at provincial and prefecture levels. With the help of GIS, endosulfan usage based on prefecture was transferred to a 1/4 degrees longitude by 1/6 degrees latitude gridding system. The satisfaction of the inventories was supported by the consistence between the estimation of the annual usage and the reported annual production of endosulfan. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: This gridded endosulfan usage inventory created in this study will be improved upon availability of new information of endosulfan. The usage inventories can be used to create gridded emission and residue inventories for this insecticide. It is believed that this work will pave the way for further endosulfan studies in China and beyond.