Objective: To examine the congener-specific concentrations and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Italian general population.
Design: Two population groups were selected and monitored for the determination of up to 60 congeners in human serum. A very detailed questionnaire was administered to each participant to collect information concerning demographic, lifestyle, and medical factors. Statistical analyses were performed to examine the relationships between PCB serum levels and age.
Setting: Northern and Central Italy.
Participants: 162 subjects from Novafeltria, Central Italy and 164 subjects from Pavia, Northern Italy.
Main outcome measure: Serum concentrations of both coplanar and non-coplanar PCB congeners. Relationship between PCB levels and age.
Results: The mean concentration of total PCBs was found to be 2.48 and 3.93 microg/l for Novafeltria and Pavia, respectively. As waited, the most abundant congeners were CB-153, CB-138, CB-180, and CB-170. Age resulted to be the most significant determinant of PCB levels. Slight differences in the congener profile were observed in the two population groups.
Conclusions: As expected, a strong correlation between age and PCB levels has been observed. It is remarkable that the correlation increased with increasing chlorination in both the population groups. Associations with other variables, such as gender, food and alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking, appeared to be inconsistent.