Human body burden of polychlorinated dibenzofurans associated with toxicity based on the yusho and yucheng incidents

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Fundamental and Applied Toxicology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-0590(90)90188-P· OSTI ID:5680700

Ryan, J J; Gasiewicz, T A; Brown, Jr, J F ^[1]

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1. Health and Welfare Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

The polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are one group of man-made toxicants for which reasonably extensive data exist relevant to dose-response relationships in humans. Examination of contaminated food oil consumption from the yusho (Japan) poisoning incident indicates the mean uptake or body burden of 2, 3, 4, 7, 8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PnCDF) equivalents (PEQ) associated with nausea and anorexia to be 4.4 micrograms/kg body wt and that associated with chloracne to be 5.9 micrograms/kg. For the yucheng (Taiwan) poisoning incident, blood measurements for chloracne show a similar body burden of 4.0 micrograms/kg. The latter value is toxicologically equivalent to a 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalent (TEQ) body burden of 2.0 micrograms/kg body wt or about 150 micrograms for an adult person. This corresponds to an adipose tissue level of about 10 micrograms/kg fat, and is comparable to that known to cause chloracne in rhesus monkeys. These body burdens on a TEQ basis are more than 200 times higher than the average current levels of PCDDs/PCDFs found in North American populations and are the first to relate human body burdens of PCDFs with a known effect and to compare them to animal data. Since the effects reported may not be the most sensitive indicator of human toxicity, lower body burdens could be associated with more subtle toxicological events.

• OSTI ID: 5680700
• Journal Information: Fundamental and Applied Toxicology; (USA), Vol. 15:4; ISSN 0272-0590
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BENZOFURANS
TOXICITY
BODY BURDEN
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
JAPAN
MAN
METABOLISM
PREGNANCY
RICE
SKIN DISEASES
ANIMALS
ASIA
CEREALS
DISEASES
FURANS
GRAMINEAE
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAMMALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
PRIMATES
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology