Understanding temporality in human concentrations of organic contaminants -Considering human concentrations over time and through life in perspective of historic production and use

• Main Author: Nøst, Therese Haugdahl
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: UiT The Arctic University of Norway 2014
• Subjects: VDP::Medical disciplines: 700::Health sciences: 800::Other health science disciplines: 829; VDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Helsefag: 800::Andre helsefag: 829; The Tromsø Study; Tromsøundersøkelsen; DOKTOR-003; Norway; Tromsø; Northern Norway
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8257

Paper II of this thesis is not available in Munin. Repeated measurements of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from 1979 to 2007 in males from Northern Norway: Assessing time trends, compound correlations and relations to age/birth cohort. Nøst, TH, Vestergren, R, Berg, V, Nieboer, E, Odland, JØ, Sandanger, TM. Available in Environment International, 2014, vol. 67 Modern human lifestyle depends on a great number of synthetic chemicals and many designated as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There are concerns for harmful health effects of POPs even for the background exposure experienced by the general population and especially for foetuses and children. The overarching aim of this thesis was to enhance our understanding of how human concentrations of POPs have changed in individuals over time. Five repeated measurements from 54 men in the Tromsø Study, Northern Norway provided longitudinal serum data from 1979 to 2007 for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Concentrations of most PCBs and pesticides decreased from 1979 or 1986 and likely reflect the decreasing concentrations in the environment during the same period. Concentrations increased for some PFASs from 1979 until 2001 when major productions were phased out and decreased to 2007. For other PFASs, concentrations increased during the entire study period. Many of the compounds measured were banned before or during the study period and the time trends of POP concentrations display a strong link to production and use of these compounds. These time trends clearly show that initiatives to stop production and use of POPs have led to decreasing concentrations of the same POPs in humans. Measured concentrations of PCBs were compared with concentrations predicted by emission-based mechanistic exposure modelling. The model simulations for PCB concentrations demonstrated reliable performance to reproduce median measured concentrations of PCBs in the Northern Norwegian men. ...