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Serum dioxin levels in residents of Calcasieu and Lafayette parishes, Louisiana with comparison to the US population

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 18, pages 252–261 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) used a cross-sectional study to compare the serum dioxin toxic equivalent (TEQ) levels of a population-based representative sample of Calcasieu Parish residents aged 15 years and older to a similar group of residents of Lafayette Parish with less industrial facilities. Serum dioxins consisted of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls. Overall, the mean and distribution of serum dioxin TEQ level in residents of both parishes were similar by age groups (15–29 years, 30–44 years, 45–59 years, and 60 year and older). When the Calcasieu Parish area was further divided based on distance to three industrial areas, the mean dioxin TEQ levels were similar. Serum dioxin TEQ levels in residents of both parishes increased with age. Calcasieu Parish residents who reported having eaten locally caught fish, smoked cigarettes, worked in an occupation with potential exposure, or used pesticides had dioxin levels similar to Lafayette Parish residents who reported these activities. African Americans had higher dioxin levels than Caucasians in Lafayette Parish and both races in Calcasieu Parish. The congener profiles were similar in residents of both parishes. When the combined Calcasieu and Lafayette Parish data were compared by age group to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2002 data, the geometric means for the dioxin levels in the combined Parish data set were significantly lower than the NHANES data in all age groups (all P-values <0.0001), except the oldest age group where the significance level is marginal (P=0.067). The various percentiles of the youngest age group of the combined parish data were also significantly lower than those in NHANES. Since the combined parish dioxin levels were below a representative sampling of the US population, there is no increase in serum dioxin concentrations in both the parishes.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to recognize the contributions of the Calcasieu Community Dioxin Study Work Group; the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Mossville/Calcasieu Team; Charles Dodson, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Section of Epidemiology and Environmental Toxicology, Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; National Opinion Research Center (NORC); and Curtis W. Noonan, Assistant Professor for Epidemiology in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Montana-Missoula.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Le E-Yang Wong, Larry L Needham, Donald G Patterson & Wayman Turner

  2. Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    M Deborah Millette

  3. Division of Health Studies, Health Investigations Branch, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Mohammed S Uddin & Alden Henderson

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  1. Le E-Yang Wong
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  2. M Deborah Millette
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  3. Mohammed S Uddin
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  4. Larry L Needham
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  5. Donald G Patterson
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  6. Wayman Turner
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  7. Alden Henderson
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Correspondence to Le E-Yang Wong.

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Wong, LY., Millette, M., Uddin, M. et al. Serum dioxin levels in residents of Calcasieu and Lafayette parishes, Louisiana with comparison to the US population. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 18, 252–261 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500609

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