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Richard F Seegal, Edward F Fitzgerald,
Robert J McCaffrey,
Srishti Shrestha,
Elaine A Hills,
Mary S Wolff,
Richard F Haase,
Andrew C Todd,
Patrick J Parsons,
Eric S Molho,
Donald S Higgins,
Stewart A Factor,
John P Seibyl
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:: To determine the relationships between tibial bone lead and serum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations and neurocognitive function. METHODS:: The study population consisted of men and women former capacitor workers had been employed by the General Electric Corporation between 1946 and 1977. Regression analyses evaluated the association between neurocognitive function and lipid-adjusted serum PCB and tibia lead concentrations. RESULTS:: Tibia lead, but not serum PCBs, was significantly correlated with deficits in neurocognitive function. Women showed more associations between tibia lead and neurocognitive function than men, especially regarding executive function. CONCLUSIONS:: These results demonstrate that low levels of tibia lead, but not serum PCBs, are associated with neurocognitive deficits and that postmenopausal women show a greater number of deficits in executive function than men.
Journal of occupational and environmental medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 04/2013; · 1.88 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study assessed the association between high temperatures and increased odds of hospitalization for renal diseases that, to date, has been examined in only a small number of studies. A case-crossover design was used to study 147,885 hospital admissions with renal diagnoses during July and August, 1991-2004, in New York State. Regional temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure data from automated monitors were used as exposure indicators. By use of time-stratified referent selection and conditional logistic regression analysis, an overall 9% increase in odds of hospitalization for acute renal failure per 5°F (2.78°C) was found for mean temperature at a 1-day lag (odds ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 1.12). The results suggest increased susceptibility to hospitalization for acute renal failure for blacks, Hispanics, people aged 25-44 years, and those in the lowest income quartile. The odds varied geographically with the largest associations found in the more urban regions. Increased odds of hospitalization were also found for urinary tract infections, renal calculi, lower urinary calculi, and other lower urinary tract disorders. The findings can help to identify vulnerable subpopulations and to inform decisions and policies regarding adaptation strategies and heat-warning systems.
American journal of epidemiology 03/2012; 175(9):907-16. · 5.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The New York State Department of Health has conducted a number of studies over the past 10 years investigating health impacts related to the September 11, 2001 (9/11) disaster among New York City residents and New York State World Trade Center (WTC) responders. Efforts to evaluate the health effects of WTC exposures in these cohorts presented numerous challenges, including study design and associated concerns about bias, identifying the affected populations, gaining community support and participation, and determining the most appropriate clinical testing and follow-up approaches. The unique position of a state public health agency provided multiple points of support for these efforts. An overview of what was found and the lessons learned during the response to the 9/11 disaster is presented, from the viewpoint of a state public health agency.
Environmental Health Insights 01/2012; 6:27-31.
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ABSTRACT: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are emerging environmental contaminants, but little is known about their possible human health effects. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between exposure to PBDEs and neuropsychological function among older adults and the possibility of effect modification with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Serum samples were analyzed for concentrations of 9 PBDE and 30 PCB congeners and 34 tests of cognitive and motor function, affective state, and olfactory function were assessed among 144 men and women of 55-74 years of age. After adjustment for relevant confounders, no overall associations were observed between the sum of the PBDE congener concentrations in serum (∑ PBDE) and scores on the neuropsychological tests. However, statistically significant interactions were found between PBDEs and PCBs for some measures of verbal learning and memory. Among persons with ∑ PCB concentrations at or above the median of 467ppb (lipid basis), an increase in ∑ PBDE concentrations from the 25th to 75th percentile was associated with decreases between 7% and 12% on scores for certain subscales of the California Verbal Learning Test. In contrast, no statistically significant associations were observed for PBDEs among persons with ∑ PCB levels below the median. The results suggest that PBDEs and PCBs may interact to affect verbal memory and learning among persons 55-74 years old. This is the first study to evaluate the neuropsychological effects of PBDEs in adults and the possibility of synergy with PCBs in humans.
NeuroToxicology 11/2011; 33(1):8-15. · 3.10 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Love Canal, located in Niagara Falls, NY, and among the earliest and most significant hazardous waste sites in the United States, first came to public attention in 1978. In this study, researchers evaluated 1,799 live births from 1960 through 1996 to 980 women who formerly lived in the Love Canal Emergency Declaration Area and were of reproductive age sometime during that time period. Using Upstate New York and Niagara County as external comparison populations, standardized incidence ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for low birth weight, preterm birth, small for gestational age, and congenital malformations, and unadjusted proportions of male to female births were calculated. Internal comparisons among the infants were also performed according to several measures of potential exposure using generalized estimating equations. The results indicated a statistically significant elevated risk of preterm birth among children born on the Love Canal prior to the time of evacuation and relocation of residents from the Emergency Declaration Area, using Upstate New York as the standard population (standardized incidence ratio=1.40; 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.90). Additionally, the ratio of male to female births was lower for children conceived in the Emergency Declaration Area (sex ratio=0.94 versus sex ratio=1.05 in the standard population) and the frequency of congenital malformations was greater than expected among Love Canal boys born from 1983 to 1996 (standardized incidence ratio=1.50 when compared to Upstate New York), although in both cases the 95% confidence interval included the null value. Finally, increased risk for low birth weight infants among mothers who lived closest to the Canal as children was found (odds ratio=4.68; 95% confidence interval: 1.24, 17.66), but this estimate was limited due to small numbers (n=4). The study adds to the knowledge of the possible reproductive effects from exposure to chemicals arising from hazardous waste; however, given the small number of some events, the qualitative nature of the exposure assessment, and possibility of spurious associations due to multiple comparisons, the findings should be interpreted cautiously.
Environmental Research 07/2011; 111(5):693-701. · 3.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A study was conducted to evaluate the association between PCBs in residential indoor air and in the serum of older, long time residents of three upper Hudson River communities. Samples of indoor air and of serum were collected from 170 persons 55 to 74 years of age, and analyzed for PCBs using glass capillary gas chromatography. After adjusting for age, BMI, cigarette smoking, and Hudson River fish consumption with multiple linear regression analysis, the results indicated statistically significant associations between concentrations in indoor air and serum for PCB-28, a lightly chlorinated congener common in air that accumulates in serum, and PCB-105. Duration of exposure was an important factor, since among persons who had lived in their home for 39 years or more, 11 of the 12 most commonly detected congeners were significantly correlated, as was their sum (∑ PCB). Significant associations between indoor air and serum PCB concentrations also were more likely when collected in cooler months and if the two samples were collected within 20 d of each other. The study is among the first to indicate that PCB concentrations characteristic of residential indoor air are associated with a detectable increase in body burden.
Chemosphere 07/2011; 85(2):225-31. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Previous research has focused on highly elevated blood lead (PbB). This study examined reasons for testing and potential sources of exposure among women with PbBs less than 0.72 μmol/l (15 μg/dl). A questionnaire was mailed to 18- to 49-year-old women in upstate New York, USA, who were PbB tested in 2007. The most common testing reason was pregnancy among 125 women who returned the questionnaire. Among women tested for PbB during pregnancy, doctors ordered approximately 80% of tests regardless of lead level. Few women with PbBs less than 0.24 μmol/l (5 μg/dl) reported a potential source of lead exposure. However, among women with PbBs of 0.24-0.71 μmol/L (5-14.9 μg/dl), 29.2% had a job and 21.2% had a hobby with potential lead exposure. There are systematic differences in reasons for testing and exposure sources among women with PbBs less than 0.72 μmol/l and these differences have implications for screening.
International Journal of Environmental Health Research 04/2011; 21(4):286-93. · 0.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Indoor air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were measured in upstate New York as part of a nonoccupational exposure investigation. The adjacent study communities contain numerous sites of current and former PCB contamination, including two capacitor-manufacturing facilities. Indoor air PCB concentrations in the study area homes were not significantly different than in the comparison area homes. Total PCB concentrations in the study area homes ranged from 0.3 to 114.3 ng/m(3) (median 7.9). For the comparison area homes, concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 233.3 ng/m(3) (median 6.8). No correlations were found between PCB concentrations in indoor and outdoor air, with indoor concentrations generally 20 times higher than outdoor concentrations. Of the home characteristics cataloged, the presence of fluorescent lights was significantly associated with total PCB concentration in the study area only. The indoor PCB concentrations measured in this study are similar to those in other communities with known PCB-contaminated sites and similar to levels reported in other locations from the northeastern United States.
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 12/2010; 61(3):530-8. · 1.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Limited epidemiologic studies have examined the association between maternal low-level lead exposure [blood lead (PbB) < 10 µg/dL] and fetal growth.
We examined whether maternal low-level lead exposure is associated with decreased fetal growth.
We linked New York State Heavy Metals Registry records of women who had PbB measurements with birth certificates to identify 43,288 mother-infant pairs in upstate New York in a retrospective cohort study from 2003 through 2005. We used multiple linear regression with fractional polynomials and logistic regression to relate birth weight, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age to PbB levels, adjusting for potential confounders. We used a closed-test procedure to identify the best fractional polynomials for PbB among 44 combinations.
We found a statistically significant association between PbB (square root transformed) and birth weight. Relative to 0 µg/dL, PbBs of 5 and 10 µg/dL were associated with an average of 61-g and 87-g decrease in birth weight, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio for PbBs between 3.1 and 9.9 µg/dL (highest quartile) was 1.04 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89-1.22] for preterm delivery and 1.07 (95% CI, 0.93-1.23) for small for gestational age, relative to PbBs ≤ 1 µg/dL (lowest quartile). No clear dose-response trends were evident when all of the quartiles were assessed.
Low-level PbB was associated with a small risk of decreased birth weight with a supralinear dose-response relationship, but was not related to preterm birth or small for gestational age. The results have important implications regarding maternal PbB.
Environmental Health Perspectives 10/2010; 118(10):1471-5. · 7.04 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Maternal exposure to high concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in naturally contaminated drinking groundwater sources has been associated with an increased risk for the spontaneous loss of clinically recognized pregnancies in several epidemiologic studies. Whereas a large worldwide population depends on drinking groundwater sources with high levels of iAs contamination, in quantities exceeding 10 parts per billion (ppb), an even larger population is likely to be exposed to mild-moderate drinking groundwater iAs contamination, in quantities <10ppb. Only a single epidemiologic study to date has considered spontaneous pregnancy loss in association with consumption of drinking water with mild-moderate iAs contamination; the vast majority of published studies of spontaneous loss addressed populations with substantial exposure. The aim of this review is to evaluate the published literature to assess the plausibility for a causal association between exposure to iAs-contaminated drinking water and the spontaneous loss of clinically recognized pregnancy. In spite of numerous methodologic limitations resulting from circumstance or design, a consistent pattern of increased risk for loss is suggested by the epidemiologic literature. Moreover, these study results are corroborated by a large number of experimental studies, albeit usually conducted at concentrations exceeding that to which humans are exposed via contaminated drinking water. In this review, we discuss sources of human iAs exposure, highlight several experimental studies pertinent to a possible causal link between iAs and spontaneous pregnancy loss in humans, and provide a critical review of published epidemiologic studies of pregnancy loss and drinking water iAs exposures, and their limitations. Based on a review of the published literature, we recommend the future conduct of a two-stage comprehensive prospective study of low-moderate iAs drinking water exposure and spontaneous pregnancy loss.
International journal of hygiene and environmental health 10/2010; 213(6):401-13. · 2.64 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We investigated Upstate New York school building conditions and examined the associations between school absenteeism and building condition problems.
We merged data from the 2005 Building Condition Survey of Upstate New York schools with 2005 New York State Education Department student absenteeism data at the individual school level and evaluated associations between building conditions and absenteeism at or above the 90th percentile.
After adjustment for confounders, student absenteeism was associated with visible mold (odds ratio [OR]=2.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.34, 3.68), humidity (OR=3.07; 95% CI=1.37, 6.89), poor ventilation (OR=3.10; 95% CI=1.79, 5.37), vermin (OR=2.23; 95% CI=1.32, 3.76), 6 or more individual building condition problems (OR=2.97; 95% CI=1.84, 4.79), and building system or structural problems related to these conditions. Schools in lower socioeconomic districts and schools attended by younger students showed the strongest associations between poor building conditions and absenteeism.
We found associations between student absenteeism and adverse school building conditions. Future studies should confirm these findings and prioritize strategies for school condition improvements.
American Journal of Public Health 09/2010; 100(9):1679-86. · 3.93 Impact Factor
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Richard F Seegal,
Kenneth L Marek,
John P Seibyl,
Danna L Jennings,
Eric S Molho,
Donald S Higgins,
Stewart A Factor, Edward F Fitzgerald,
Elaine A Hills,
Susan A Korrick,
Mary S Wolff,
Richard F Haase,
Andrew C Todd,
Patrick Parsons,
Robert J McCaffrey
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ABSTRACT: We hypothesize that occupational exposure to PCBs is associated with a reduction in central dopamine (DA) similar to changes previously seen in PCB exposed adult non-human primates. To test that hypothesis, we used [(123)I]beta-CIT SPECT imaging to estimate basal ganglia DA transporter density in former capacitor workers. Women, but not men, showed an inverse relationship between lipid-adjusted total serum PCB concentrations and DA transporter densities in the absence of differences in serum PCB concentrations. These sex differences may reflect age-related reductions in the levels of gonadal hormones since these hormones have been shown experimentally to alter response to DA neurotoxicants. These findings may aid in better understanding the roles that sex and age play in modifying central DA function following exposure, not only to PCBs, but also to other DA neurotoxicants as well as further elucidating the role of gonadal hormones in influencing the initiation and/or progression of neurodegenerative disorders.
Neurobiology of Disease 05/2010; 38(2):219-25. · 5.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Love Canal, in Niagara Falls, NY is among the earliest and most significant hazardous waste sites in the USA, but no study has ever measured chemical body burdens in nearby residents to document that human exposure occurred. This study measured concentrations of selected organochlorines and chlorinated benzenes in archived serum samples collected from former Love Canal residents.
We analyzed serum samples collected from 373 former residents in 1978-1979 for compounds disposed of at Love Canal, and we compared their concentrations according to surrogate indicators of exposure such as residential proximity, adjusting for potential confounders.
Three compounds were detectable in the serum of most participants: 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) and 1,2-dichlorobenzene (1,2-DCB). Concentrations of 1,2,4-TCB and 1,2-DCB were 2-14 times greater among persons who at the time their blood was collected lived closest to the Canal compared to those living further away. We found no consistent trends for beta-HCH with respect to any exposure definition.
These results provide evidence that residential proximity to Love Canal contributed to the body burden of certain contaminants, and helps validate the use of surrogate exposure measures in health effect studies. Further surveillance of the Love Canal cohort is warranted.
Environmental Research 04/2010; 110(3):220-5. · 3.40 Impact Factor
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Richard F Seegal, Edward F Fitzgerald,
Elaine A Hills,
Mary S Wolff,
Richard F Haase,
Andrew C Todd,
Patrick Parsons,
Eric S Molho,
Donald S Higgins,
Stewart A Factor,
Kenneth L Marek,
John P Seibyl,
Danna L Jennings,
Robert J McCaffrey
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ABSTRACT: To date, most estimates of the half-life of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in humans have been based on relatively short follow-up periods. To address this issue, we determined the half-lives of PCB congeners of occupational origin in the serum of former capacitor workers as part of a study conducted in 2003-2006--approximately 28 years after their last occupational exposure. A total of 241 persons from a source population of 6798 former capacitor workers were interviewed and asked to donate a blood sample for serum PCB congener analysis. A subgroup of 45 participants also had serum archived from 1976 and reanalyzed for the same 27 PCB congeners by the same laboratory. Our estimates of the half-lives of the congeners among these 45 persons were longer than those reported by Wolff et al. (1992), due primarily to the much longer interval between exposure and determination of serum PCB concentrations. Half-lives were significantly greater for the heavy versus light occupational congeners, for women versus men and for those with low versus high initial exposure. Current serum total PCB concentrations, expressed as the geometric mean of wet weight data, averaged 6.7 ng/g for the entire 241-person cohort, which represents a 10-fold decrease from values reported in the late 1970s, but is still nearly twice the average for persons of similar age residing in the same area, but without occupational exposure. In addition, current serum PCB concentrations remained significantly and positively associated with earlier occupational exposure, but were not associated with fresh water fish consumption. In general, the results support a consistent and long-duration trend of increased PCB body burden in this cohort of former capacitor workers compared with non-occupationally exposed individuals. The results may aid in further understanding the toxicological/epidemiological consequences of exposure to PCBs in humans.
Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 03/2010; 21(3):234-46. · 2.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We present prevalence estimates of indoor and outdoor environmental risk factors for asthma from a cross-sectional study of children 1 to 17 years of age living in Buffalo, New York. A child's primary caretaker completed a questionnaire about the household's demographics, lifestyle habits, housing, indoor and outdoor environment, and the child's activity patterns, family history of asthma, asthma symptoms and treatment, and medical care access. Significant environmental risk factors were presence of smokers in the household, humidifier or vaporizer use, chemical odors indoors, frequent truck traffic, and chemical odors outdoors. Most of these risk factors can be mitigated or controlled.
Journal of Asthma 06/2008; 45(4):325-32. · 1.52 Impact Factor
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Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 05/2008; 17(4):1013-5. · 4.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Outdoor air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were measured in upstate New York as part of a nonoccupational exposure investigation. The adjacent study communities of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward contain numerous sites of current and former PCB contamination, including two capacitor-manufacturing facilities. Outdoor air PCB concentrations in the study municipalities were significantly higher than in the comparison municipality of Glens Falls. Total PCB concentrations in the study area ranged from 0.102 to 4.011 ng/m(3) (median: 0.711 ng/m(3)). For the comparison area, concentrations ranged from 0.080 to 2.366 ng/m(3) (median: 0.431 ng/m(3)). Although our sampling was not designed to identify point sources, the presence of PCB-contaminated sites in the study area likely contributed to this observed difference in concentration. While elevated relative to the comparison area, total PCB concentrations in the study area are lower than those in other communities with known PCB-contaminated sites, and similar to levels reported in other locations from the northeastern United States.
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 05/2008; 54(3):363-71. · 1.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may accelerate the cognitive and motor dysfunction found in normal aging, but few studies have examined these outcomes and PCB exposure among older adults.
We evaluated neuropsychological status and low-level PCB exposure among older adults living along contaminated portions of the upper Hudson River in New York.
A total of 253 persons between 55 and 74 years of age were recruited and interviewed, and provided blood samples for congener-specific PCB analysis. Participants also underwent a neuropsychological battery consisting of 34 tests capable of detecting subtle deficits in cognition, motor function, affective state, and olfactory function.
After adjustment for potential confounders, the results indicated that an increase in serum total PCB concentration from 250 to 500 ppb (lipid basis) was associated with a 6.2% decrease in verbal learning, as measured by California Verbal Learning Test trial 1 score (p = 0.035), and with a 19.2% increase in depressive symptoms, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (p = 0.007).
The results suggest that exposure to PCBs may be associated with some measures of memory and learning and depression among adults 55-74 years of age whose current body burdens are similar to those of the general population. Although the results are useful in delineating the neuropsychological effects of low-level exposure to PCBs, further studies of whether older men and women are a sensitive subpopulation are needed.
Environmental Health Perspectives 03/2008; 116(2):209-15. · 7.04 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The upper Hudson River has been heavily contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to discharges from former electrical capacitor plants in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward, NY. An epidemiologic study was conducted to assess the impact of dietary and residential exposure on PCB body burden among older, long-term, non-occupationally exposed adults living in the vicinity of these former capacitor plants. The study population consisted of 133 persons 55-74 years of age who had lived in Hudson Falls or Fort Edward for 25 years or more. The comparison group consisted of 120 persons from Glens Falls, which is upriver. Both groups were interviewed, and blood samples were obtained for congener-specific PCB analysis. Persons from the study area reported greater past consumption of Hudson River fish than did the comparison area, but current rates were very low in both areas. The geometric mean serum PCB concentrations for the study and comparison populations did not differ significantly (3.07 ppb wet weight and 3.23 ppb, respectively, for total PCB). Serum PCB concentrations increased with cumulative lifetime exposure to PCBs from Hudson River fish consumption (p<0.10). Persons who lived within 800 m of the river did not have significantly greater serum PCB concentrations than the control population, nor did persons who lived downwind and within 800 m of a PCB-contaminated site. The results indicate no detectable differences in serum PCB levels according to proximity or wind direction relative to local point sources, but lifetime consumption of Hudson River fish was positively associated with serum PCB concentrations.
Environmental Research 08/2007; 104(3):352-60. · 3.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study investigated whether self-reported damage, dust, and odors in homes near the World Trade Center (WTC) after September 11, 2001, were related to increased rates of respiratory symptoms among residents and if multiple sources of exposure were associated with greater health risk. We mailed questionnaires to homes within 1.5 km of the WTC site (affected area) and in upper Manhattan (control area). Surveys asked about respiratory symptoms, unplanned medical visits, physician diagnoses, medication use, and conditions in the home after 9/11. Adverse home conditions were associated with new-onset (i.e., began after 9/11) and persistent (i.e., remained 1 year after 9/11) upper and lower respiratory symptoms in the affected area (Cumulative Incidence Ratios [CIRs] 1.20-1.71). Residents reporting longer duration of dust/odors or multiple sources of exposure had greater risk for symptoms compared to those reporting shorter duration and fewer sources. These data suggest that WTC-related contamination in the home after 9/11 was associated with new and persistent respiratory symptoms among residents living near the site. While we cannot eliminate potential biases related to self-reported data, we took strategies to minimize their impact, and the observed effects are biologically plausible.
Journal of Asthma 06/2007; 44(4):325-32. · 1.52 Impact Factor
