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http://hdl.handle.net/1942/11944
Title: | Internal exposure to pollutants and sexual maturation in Flemish adolescents | Authors: | Den Hond, Elly Dhooge, Willem BRUCKERS, Liesbeth Schoeters, Greet Nelen, Vera van de Mieroop, Els Koppen, Gudrun Bilau, Maaike Schroijen, Carmen Keune, Hans Baeyens, Willy van Larebeke, Nicolas |
Issue Date: | 2011 | Publisher: | NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP | Source: | JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, 21(3). p. 224-233 | Abstract: | Flanders is densely populated with much industry and intensive farming. Sexual maturation of adolescents (aged 14-15 years) was studied in relation to internal exposure to pollutants. Serum levels of pollutants and sex hormones were measured in 1679 participants selected as a random sample of the adolescents residing in the study areas. Data on sexual development were obtained from the medical school examination files. Self-assessment questionnaires provided information on health, use of medication and lifestyle factors. In boys, serum levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p'-DDE and polychlorinated biphenyls (sum of marker PCB138, 153 and 180) were significantly and positively associated with pubertal staging (pubic hair and genital development). Higher levels of serum HCB and blood lead were associated with, respectively, a lower and a higher risk of gynecomastia. In girls, significant and negative associations were detected between blood lead and pubic hair development; higher exposure to PCBs was significantly associated with a delay in timing of menarche. Environmental exposures to pollutants at levels actually present in the Flemish population are associated with measurable effects on pubertal development. However, further understanding of toxic mode of action and sensitive windows of exposure is needed to explain the current findings. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (2011) 21, 224-233; doi:10.1038/jes.2010.2; published online 3 March 2010 | Notes: | [Den Hond, Elly; Schoeters, Greet; Koppen, Gudrun] Flemish Inst Technol Res Vito, B-2400 Mol, Belgium. [Dhooge, Willem] Ghent Univ Hosp, Dept Endocrinol, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. [Bruckers, Liesbeth] Univ Hasselt, Interuniv Inst Biostat & Stat Bioinformat, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. [Schoeters, Greet] Univ Antwerp, Dept Biomed Sci, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium. [Nelen, Vera; van de Mieroop, Els] Prov Inst Hyg, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium. [Bilau, Maaike] Univ Ghent, Dept Publ Hlth, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. [Schroijen, Carmen; Baeyens, Willy] Vrije Univ Brussel, Dept Analyt & Environm Chem ANCH, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. [Keune, Hans] Univ Antwerp, Fac Polit & Social Sci, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium. [van Larebeke, Nicolas] Univ Ghent, Study Ctr Carcinogenesis & Primary Prevent Canc, Dept Radiotherapy Nucl Med & Expt Cancerol, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. elly.denhond@vito.be | Keywords: | PCBs; pesticides; metals; endocrine disruptors; biomonitoring;PCBs; pesticides; metals; endocrine disruptors; biomonitoring | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/11944 | ISSN: | 1559-0631 | e-ISSN: | 1559-064X | DOI: | 10.1038/jes.2010.2 | ISI #: | 000289712500002 | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2012 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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Den Hond_exposure and puberty_JESEE_accepted.pdf | 256.51 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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