Harold E.B. Humphrey

Pesticide residues, PCBs and PAHs in baked, charbroiled, salt boiled and smoked Great Lakes lake trout

Abstract Skin-off lean lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush namaycush) from Lakes Huron, Michigan and Ontario as well as siscowets (fat lake trout) (Salvelinus namaycush siscowet) from Lake Superior were cooked by baking and charbroiling to determine the potential of processing/cooking on reducing the levels of pesticides and total PCBs in fish at the dinner table. Lake trout from Lakes Michigan and Superior also were salt boiled and skin-on fillets smoked. All fish analyzed were below the action level except skin-on siscowets with > 0.3 ppm action level for chlordane. Cooked lake trout had significantly less residue than raw. Smoking resulted in significantly greater losses of pesticides and total PCBs than other cooking methods but analyses of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons showed significant compound formation during smoking with higher levels occurring in high fat siscowets. Overall losses of pesticides and total PCBs ranged from a low of 21% for dieldrin to a high of 39% for chlordane complex. Most of the total losses were about 30% establishing that cooking is effective in reducing residues in these Great Lakes fish.

Cancer among a Michigan cohort exposed to polybrominated biphenyls in 1973

The long-term health effects of human exposure to polybrominated biphenyls are not known. In this nested case-control study, we evaluated the association between site-specific cancer risk and serum polybrominated biphenyl levels among a Michigan cohort accidentally exposed to polybrominated biphenyls in 1973. The Michigan Department of Public Health has followed 3,899 people through 1993, among whom 195 primary cancers were identified in 187 persons. Controls were 696 randomly selected cancer-free individuals who were frequency matched to cases by sex and age (in 5-year strata). Baseline serum polybrominated biphenyl levels were measured using standard methods. We found an increasing dose-response relation for digestive system cancer risk with higher serum polybrominated biphenyl category [4–20 parts per billion (ppb), 21–50 ppb, and >50 ppb] after adjustment for age, family cancer history, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and baseline serum polychlorinated biphenyl level. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for each category were 8.23 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.27–53.3], 12.3 (95% CI = 0.80–191), and 22.9 (95% CI = 1.34–392), respectively. Univariate analysis for polybrominated biphenyl level and lymphoma risk also showed a dose-response relation, with corresponding ORs of 3.24 (95% CI = 0.24–95.9), 20.5 (95% CI = 1.51–608), and 32.6 (95% CI = 3.33–861). (Epidemiology 1998;9:373–378)

Breast cancer among women exposed to polybrominated biphenyls.

We conducted a nested case-control study with 1,925 women enrolled in a polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) registry to examine the association between breast cancer and serum PBBs. Twenty women who developed breast cancer were matched to 290 control subjects on sex, race, and age. Women with serum PBB levels of 2.0-3.0 parts per billion (ppb) [odds ratio (OR) = 3.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9-13] or 4.0 ppb or greater (OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 0.8-12) had a higher estimated risk for breast cancer than women with less than 2.0 ppb. The odds ratios were unchanged when available breast cancer risk factors were included in the analysis.

Neuropsychological Assessment of an Aging Population of Great Lakes Fisheaters

Because of the decline in central nervous system function that occurs with age, older people may be at greater risk of neurological dysfunction following exposure to neurotoxic contaminants in the environment. This study wasdesigned to assess the neuropsychological functioning of a group of 50-90- year-old fisheaters exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through Great Lakes fish consumption, and a group of age- and sex-matched nonfisheaters selectedfrom the Michigan Department of Public Healths established cohort of fisheaters and nonfisheaters. A neuropsychological assessment battery, demographic interview, and fish consumption questionnaire were developed and piloted on similarly aged men and women in the Lansing and Detroit, Michigan, areas. The assessment battery included tests of motor function, memory and learning, executive functions, and visual-spatial functions, and took approximately two hours to administer. Most of the tests included in the battery have been shown to be sensitive to subtle, age-related declines in cognitive and motor function. The demographic questionnaire included questions on a number of important control variables that could influence the neuropsychological end points that were assessed in the study. These included demographic background, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, prescription and nonprescription drug use, medical history (including psychiatric illnesses), employment history, and activity level. The fish consumption questionnaire asked about historical and current consumption of specific fish species from each of the Great Lakes and its tributaries and was based on the fish consumption advisories published in the 1992 Michigan Fishing Guide. The questionnaire also asked about consumption of wild game, fish preparation and cooking methods, serving size, and changes in fish consumption patterns over time. After each subject completed the neuropsychological assessment, demographic interview, and fish consumption questionnaire, a blood sample was collected for analysis of PCBs, dichloro diphenyl dichloroethene (DDE), and ten other contaminants frequently detected in Great Lakes fish. Subject recruitment for the study began in July 1993 and was completed in November 1995. The data will be analyzed in two steps: first, to assess differences in confounding variables between fisheaters and nonfisheaters; and secondly, to determine the independent effects of Great Lakes fish consumption, as well as serum PCB and DDE levels, on cognitive and motor function after controlling for all identified covariates. Three indices of PCB exposure—total PCBs, total ortho-substituted PCBs and total coplanar PCBs—will be assessed. These studies should shed light on three questions: 1) Does consumption of contaminated fish from the Great Lakes exacerbate or accelerate the normal age-related decline in cognitive and motor function? 2) Do serum PCB or DDE concentrations predict the degree of behavioral dysfunction? and 3) If PCB exposure is related to behavioral outcomes, which class of PCB congeners, ortho-substituted or coplanar, are responsible for the cognitive and motor deficits?

Fish Consumption and Other Characteristics of Reproductive-Aged Michigan Anglers—a Potential Population for Studying the Effects of Consumption of Great Lakes Fish On Reproductive Health

There has been considerable interest in the benefits and risks of eating Great Lakes fish, particularly with regard to reproductive health. We report the results of a survey conducted from 1993-1995 among Michigan anglers. The survey was designed to identify a reproductive-aged cohort of persons who consume high or low levels of Great Lakes fish in order to study the impact of polyhalogenated biphenyl (PHB) compounds and other toxins on human reproduction outcomes. Using fishing license data obtained from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, we identified anglers of early reproductive age (18-34 years) in ten Michigan counties. The screening survey ascertained demographic, behavioral, fish consumption, and reproductive history information on anglers and their partners. Over 4,000 angler households were contacted. One thousand nine hundred fifty questionnaires were returned from 1,168 households. The median age of respondents was 30 years; 58% were male and 64% reported being married. Slightly more than one-half the respondents had attended or graduated from college, and less than 10% had not completed high school. In the past year, most respondents (46%) reported having eaten sport-caught fish 1-12 times, while 20% reported having eaten no sport-caught fish; 20% had consumed 13-24 meals. More sport-caught fish was consumed in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter, and males reported eating more fish than females. About 43% of our respondents reported that they intend to have one or more children in the next five years. Of these respondents, 287 couples had no identified impairments to reproduction and therefore would be eligible to participate in the future reproductive study.