A first long-term monitoring of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Antarctic air has been conducted at the Norwegian research station Troll (Dronning Maud Land). As target contaminants 32 PCB congeners, αand γ -hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), transand cis-chlordane, transand cis-nonachlor, p,p’and o,p-DDT, DDD, DDE as well as hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were selected. The monitoring prog...

Atmospheric concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been measured for the first time at Station Nord, North-East Greenland, from 2008 to 2010. The data obtained are reported here. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), endosulfan I and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were the predominant compounds detected in the atmosphere, followed by p,p'-DDE and dieldrin. Chlordane isomers and related compo...

Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) is involved in the regulation of many cellular processes. The gap junction channels are made up of connexins and the flow of polar low molecular weight molecules through these channels is inhibited by several groups of substances, such as tumour promoters and growth factors. The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), chlordane a...

Thyroid disease is common, and evidence of an association between organochlorine exposure and thyroid disease is increasing. The authors examined the cross-sectional association between ever use of organochlorines and risk of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism among female spouses (n = 16,529) in Iowa and North Carolina enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study in 1993-1997. They also assessed ...

The elevated occurrence of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and legacy organchlorine pesticides (e.g. chlordane and DDT) in estuarine sediments continues to poses challenges for maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems. Current efforts to develop and apply protective, science-based sediment quality regulati...

Growing evidence indicates that exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) could increase non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk. However, results from epidemiological studies investigating this association remain controversial. We thus conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the association between OCP exposure and NHL risk. Relevant publications were searched in PubMed, Web of Science...

Blubber was collected from live-captured, adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Svalbard, Norway, and analysed for levels and patterns of organochlorine (OC) contaminants. The OC compounds analysed were HCB, dieldrin, sigmaHCH (alpha-HCH, beta-HCH and gamma-HCH), sigmaChl (heptachlor epoxide, oxychlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, and cis-nonachlor), sigmaDDT (pp'-DDT, pp'...

Skin removal is a generally accepted method to reduce exposure to contaminants through fish consumption. However, inconsistent results from studies on the effectiveness of this method suggest influence of other factors such as characteristics of contaminants and fish species. This study investigated the effects of skin removal on the lipid contents and concentrations of total mercury, α-chlorda...

A total of fifty-four human breast milk samples were collected from Pediatric Department of Assiut University Hospital from lactating mothers during January-August, 2001. The samples were analyzed for organochlorine pesticide residues by using gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The results revealed that all detected organochlorine residue levels were markedly lower in compar...

Bimonthly bulk atmospheric deposition samples (precipitation + dry particle) were taken for one year at an arctic (Abisko, 68°20' N, 19°03' E) and a sub-arctic (Krycklan 64°14' N, 19°46' E) location in northern Sweden using Amberlite IRA-743 as an absorbent for hydrophobic pollutants. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) for polychlorinated...