A PBPK model to estimate PCDD/F levels in adipose tissue: Comparison with experimental values of residents near a hazardous waste incinerator

• Published in: Environment international Vol. 73; pp. 150 - 157
• Main Authors: Schuhmacher, Marta, Fàbrega, Francesc, Kumar, Vikas, García, Francisco, Nadal, Martí, Domingo, José L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: absorbed dose; Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - chemistry; Adult; Aged; Air Pollutants - analysis; Benzofurans - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; breast milk; Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Europe; Female; food intake; gender; Hazardous Waste; Hazardous waste incinerator; Humans; Incineration; incinerators; lipid content; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Milk, Human - chemistry; Models, Biological; PBPK model; PCDD/Fs; Pharmacokinetics; polychlorinated dibenzodioxins; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; polychlorinated dibenzofurans; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; surveys; Temporal trend; Toxicology; Europe; Adipose tissue; PCDD/Fs; Hazardous waste incinerator; PBPK model; Temporal trend; Human; Proximity; Estimation; Hazardous waste; Concentration; Experimental study; Time variation; Toxicokinetics; Compartmental model; Incinerator; Resident; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0160-4120; 1873-6750; 1873-6750
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.07.020

This study was aimed at determining the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in 15 samples of adipose tissue from subjects who had been living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator (HWI). The results were compared with levels obtained in previous surveys carried out in 1998 (baseline study), 2002 and 2007. The current (2013) concentrations of PCDD/Fs in adipose tissue ranged from 2.8 to 46.3pg WHO-TEQ/g fat (mean and median concentrations: 11.5 and 7.4pg WHO-TEQ/g fat, respectively), being significantly lower (64%) than those observed in 1998. In contrast, no significant differences in the mean PCDD/F concentrations were noted in the period 2002–2013. The significant decrease of the PCDD/F content in fat, also noted in other biological monitors such as plasma and breast milk, is in agreement with the reduction in the dietary intake of PCDD/Fs found in the same area of study. Similarly to other investigations across Europe, an increase of PCDD/F levels in adipose tissue in relation to age was observed, while no significant differences were noted according to gender. A multicompartmental physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was also applied to estimate the levels of PCDD/Fs in adipose tissue. When comparing the modeled and experimental concentrations of PCDD/Fs in that tissue, very similar values were obtained for the four surveys, which indicates this can be a reliable tool to predict the internal dose of PCDD/Fs. •A significant temporal reduction of PCDD/Fs in adipose tissue was found in adults.•This reduction is in agreement with the decrease in the dietary intake of PCDD/Fs.•PBPK modeling can be a reliable tool to estimate the body burdens of PCDD/Fs.