Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in human follicular fluid and in vitro fertilization outcomes, a pilot study.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are ubiquitously distributed among the U.S. population and adversely impact human reproduction.

Determination of trace amounts of ethylene glycol and its analogs in water matrixes by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Contamination of drinking water by ethylene glycol (EG) is a public health concern. EG causes adverse health effects in humans and animals, including cardiopulmonary and acute renal failure. EG and other glycols, such as propylene glycol (PG) are major components in antifreeze liquids, which may be the main source of contamination of ground water.

Thyroid hormones are associated with exposure to persistent organic pollutants in aging residents of upper Hudson River communities.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and thyroid hormones in an aging population. Forty-eight women and 66 men, aged 55-74 years and living in upper Hudson River communities completed a questionnaire and provided blood specimens. Serum was analyzed for thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH), free (fT4) and total thyroxine (T4), total triiodothyronine (T3), and for POPs.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, biphenyls, and naphthalenes in plasma of workers deployed at the World Trade Center after the collapse.

Blood plasma samples (n = 43) collected retrospectively from New York State employees and National Guard personnel who had been assigned to work in the vicinity of the World Trade Center (WTC) during the week after the collapse of the buildings were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). On the basis of algorithms developed to rank individual exposures to dust and debris and to smoke, we categorized the samples as: more smoke exposure (MSE), more dust exposure (MDE), less smoke exposure (LSE), and less dust exposure (LDE). Mean concentrations of PCDDs were 1070, 223, 3690, and 732 pg/g lipid wt, and mean concentrations of PCDFs were 910, 1520, 230, and 117 pg/g lipid wt, for the MSE, MDE, LSE, and LDE groups, respectively.

Concentrations of selected organochlorines and chlorobenzenes in the serum of former Love Canal residents, Niagara Falls, New York.

Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Use of methanol for the efficient extraction and analysis of melamine and cyanuric acid residues in dairy products and pet foods.

The recent worldwide shortage of acetonitrile has prompted the development of a new method using methanol as an alternative organic solvent in the extraction and liquid chromatographic analysis of melamine and cyanuric acid that may be present as contaminants in dairy products and pet foods. A simple extraction of melamine and cyanuric acid residues in fortified samples was successfully achieved, using a methanol-water mixture and analysis by isotopic dilution high-performance liquid chromatography-triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). A two-step centrifugation procedure was employed to remove matrix components from extracts.

Analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls in human serum by gas chromatography-mass selective detection operating at high ion source temperature.

Optimization of analytical instrumentation is essential when analyses of persistent organic pollutants in human serum are performed at ultra-trace levels. This research describes the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in serum using gas chromatography coupled with a mass selective detector (GC/MSD) in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. We selected PCB-58 and PCB-186 as internal standards (ISs) for the method development, and newborn calf serum (NCS) was chosen as the matrix.

Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and neuropsychological status among older residents of upper Hudson River communities.

Background: 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.

Objective: We evaluated neuropsychological status and low-level PCB exposure among older adults living along contaminated portions of the upper Hudson River in New York.

Methods: 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.

Environmental exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) among older residents of upper Hudson River communities.

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.