A Review of Health Effects of Polybrominated Biphenyls Five Decades after Michigan Agricultural Contamination
Year: 2021
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: The Michigan Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB) cohort was created after a 1973 manufacturing mistake mixed the flame retardant PBB into animal feed. PBB was distributed to Michigan farms for nearly a year, exposing Michigan farmers, chemical workers, and consumers of animal products to high PBB levels. The PBB cohort has been continuously followed since 1976 and has provided insights into health impacts of an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) during specific windows throughout the lifecourse. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review using the MEDLINE and Thompson Reuters (ISI) Web of Science databases for PBB research published since the 1973-1974 incident. We identified 60 publications resulting from the PBB cohort that researched the first-generation cohort members (F0), the second (F1) and third (F2) generation cohort members. RESULTS:The literature review highlighted the adverse human health effects of PBB exposure since 1975. Early studies (1975-1984) did not find many associations with PBB; however, methodological limitations might account for these results. More recent work revealed an increased risk of breast cancer, accelerated pubertal development and earlier menarche for girls exposed in utero, urogenital problems and slower pubertal development in boys exposed in utero, altered hormone levels among women exposed in childhood, and increased risk of miscarriage among daughters of exposed women. Emerging epigenetic and metabolomic research has supported evidence of altered pathways related to estrogenic effects and immune function. Research has also shown PBB levels alter the epigenome of spermatogenic cells. This work has begun to elucidate biological mechanisms of endocrine disruption. CONCLUSIONS:The PBB cohort is a unique population to research the multigenerational impacts of exposure to an EDC. The PBB cohort adds to the growing evidence that the effects of endocrine disruptors depend not only on dose but also on the timing, with the most damaging effects during fetal development and before puberty. KEYWORDS: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, Exposome, Epigenomics, Reproductive Outcomes, Long-term exposure
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3194083912