Immunotoxicology: environmental contamination by polybrominated biphenyls and immune dysfunction among residents of the State of Michigan

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Cancer Detect. Prev.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5393570

Bekesi, J G; Roboz, J P; Fischbein, A; Mason, P

In 1973, inadvertent contamination occurred in a special farm feed supplement for lactating cows. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) were used in place of magnesium oxide resulting in serious harm to farm animals, including cattle, chickens, geese, ducks. Farm families, accustomed to eating their own products, were most heavily exposed. To study the impact of PBBs, 336 adult Michigan farm residents, 117 general consumers for comparison, 75 dairy farm residents in Wisconsin, who had not eaten PBB-contaminated food, were examined, as were 79 healthy subjects in New York City. Abnormalities in the Michigan groups included hypergammaglobulinemia, exaggerated hypersensitive response to streptococci, significant decrease in absolute numbers and percentage of T and B-lymphocytes, and increased number of lymphocytes with no detectable surface markers (''null cells''). Significant reduction of in vitro immune function was noted in 20-25% of the Michigan farm residents who had eaten food containing PBB. The decreased immune function detected among the PBB-exposed farm residents tended to affect families as a unit and was independent of exposed individuals' age or sex, pointing against the possibility of genetic predisposition.

• Research Organization: Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City Univ. of New York, NY
• OSTI ID: 5393570
• Journal Information: Cancer Detect. Prev.; (United States), Journal Name: Cancer Detect. Prev.; (United States); ISSN CDPRD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL FEEDS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CATTLE
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
CONTAMINATION
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
FEDERAL REGION II
FEDERAL REGION V
FOOD
FOOD CHAINS
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHOCYTES
MAMMALS
MAN
MATERIALS
MICHIGAN
MILK
NEW YORK
NEW YORK CITY
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PRIMATES
RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM
RUMINANTS
SENSITIVITY
SOMATIC CELLS
TISSUES
TOXICITY
USA
VERTEBRATES
WISCONSIN