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Internal exposure to pollutants and sexual maturation in Flemish adolescents

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 21, pages 224–233 (2011)Cite this article

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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.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Marc Elskens and Tim Nawrot (statistics) and Ilse Loots (communication) for advice. The study was commissioned, financed and steered by the Ministry of the Flemish Community (Department of Economics, Science and Innovation; Flemish Agency for Care and Health; Department of Environment, Nature and Energy).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Flemish Institute of Technological Research, Environmental Risk and Health, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium,

    Elly Den Hond, Greet Schoeters & Gudrun Koppen

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium,

    Willem Dhooge

  3. Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics, University of Hasselt, Agoralaan 1, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium,

    Liesbeth Bruckers

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium,

    Greet Schoeters

  5. Provincial Institute of Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium,

    Vera Nelen & Els van de Mieroop

  6. Department of Public Health, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium,

    Maaike Bilau

  7. Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry (ANCH), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium,

    Carmen Schroijen & Willy Baeyens

  8. Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Hans Keune

  9. Department of Radiotherapy, Nuclear Medicine and Experimental Cancerology, Study Centre for Carcinogenesis and Primary Prevention of Cancer, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium,

    Nicolas van Larebeke

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  1. Elly Den Hond
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Correspondence to Elly Den Hond.

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Den Hond, E., Dhooge, W., Bruckers, L. et al. Internal exposure to pollutants and sexual maturation in Flemish adolescents. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 21, 224–233 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2010.2

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