The aim of the study was to investigate the concentration of organochlorine compounds of environmental-medical relevance in biological materials from refugees with regard to their countries of origin and to compare these concentrations with the internal exposure of the German general population.
Methods: During medical examination after entry to Germany specimens could be taken from the refugees to determine the following parameters of biological monitoring: 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (DDE-P), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB-P), pentachlorophenol (PCP-P) and the beta- and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexanes (beta-HCH-P, gamma-HCH-P) in plasma and the excretion of chlorophenols (4-MCP-U, 2,4-DCP-U, 2,5-DCP-U, 2,4,5-TCP-U, 2,4,6-TCP-U, 2,3,4,5-TeCP-U, 2,3,5,6-TeCP-U) in urine. One hundred and three men (13 from former Yugoslavia, 29 from the former USSR, 33 Africans and 28 Asians) ranging from 16 to 53 years of age (median 27 years) were investigated. Thirty four male Germans without occupational exposure to these substances and a similar age structure (age 25-36 years; median 26 years) served as a control group.
Results: A much higher level of internal exposure was found for the DDT metabolite, DDE, for those persons from Asia, the former USSR and Africa compared with the German controls (medians: 16.9 micrograms/l, 11.9 micrograms/l and 10.9 micrograms/l) and 1.1 micrograms/l). The levels of PCB in plasma were below the detection limit in the majority of refugees. In the control group, however, the PCB levels were higher (sigma PCB; median: 2.1 micrograms/l, maximum: 13.3 micrograms/l). The highest beta-HCH concentrations, up to a maximum of 15.5 micrograms/l, were detected in the persons from the former USSR and Asia. The five groups do not differ with regard to internal exposure to PCP and gamma-HCH. Renal excretion of 4-MCP, 2,4-DCP and TeCP did not differ between the five groups. The concentrations of 2,5-DCP in urine, however, were significantly lower in the Germans than the refugees from the four regions investigated. The median for the Germans was 3.0 micrograms/l and for the refugees between 10.8 and 14.7 micrograms/l. Also the levels of 2,4,5-TCP and 2,4,6-TCP in urine were lower in the German controls than in the men from the former USSR, Africa and Asia.
Conclusions: Organochlorine compounds exist worldwide due to their extensive use. There are, however, regional differences for the various substance groups, which during biological monitoring are seen in the different background exposures of the general population. Particularly characteristic are markedly higher levels of DDE in plasma from the refugees compared with the German population.