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Tu Binh Minh,¹ Mafumi Watanabe,¹ Shinsuke Tanabe,¹ Taketo Yamada,² Jun-ichi Hata,² and Shaw Watanabe³

¹Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan; ²Department of Pathology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan; ³Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

We examined human adipose tissue, liver, and bile from humans in Japan to understand the contamination status, specific accumulation, and elimination of two newly identified environmental contaminants, tris(4-chlorophenyl) methane (TCPMe) , tris(4-chlorophenyl) methanol (TCPMOH) , and other persistent organochlorines such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) , DDT and its metabolites (DDTs) , hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) , hexachlorobenzene (HCB) , and chlordane compounds (CHLs) . TCPMe and TCPMOH concentrations in Japanese human adipose tissue were slightly higher than those reported previously, indicating widespread exposure to these compounds in humans. Elevated residues of PCBs and DDTs are found in adipose tissue and liver. Concentrations in bile strongly correlated with concentrations in adipose fat and liver, which may suggest an equilibration in adipose fat/bile and liver/bile and possible biliary excretion of persistent organochlorines in humans. Composition of the organochlorines accumulated further indicates a metabolic capacity in humans higher than that of marine mammals. We observed age-dependent accumulation for TCPMe, TCPMOH, and other organochlorines, but there were no significant gender differences. p,pī-DDE and TCPMe were estimated to have low biliary excretion rate. Elimination potential of persistent organochlorines may be related to their octanol-water partition coefficient. The relationship between excretion rate and octanol-water partition coefficient may be used to predict the biliary excretion potential of some other lipophilic organochlorines such as dioxins and dibenzofurans in humans. The presence of organochlorines in bile suggests that the hepatic excretory system plays a major role in the elimination of xenobiotics in humans. To our knowledge, this is the first study of accumulation and elimination of TCPMe and TCPMOH in humans. Key words: age-dependent accumulation, biliary excretion, humans, persistent organochlorines, tissue distribution, tris(4-chlorophenyl) methane, tris(4-chlorophenyl) methanol. Environ Health Perspect 109:927-935 (2001) . [Online 24 August 2001]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p927-935minh/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to S. Tanabe, Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, Tarumi 3-5-7, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan. Telephone/Fax: +81-89-946-9904. E-mail: shinsuke@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp

We thank K. Kannan, Michigan State University (USA) , for critical reading of this manuscript. We also thank H. Iwata and S. Takahashi (Ehime University, Japan) for helpful comments.

This study was supported by the Health Sciences Research Grants of Ministry of Health and Welfare, "Research on Environmental Health--Human Exposure by Endrocrine Disruptors in Japan," the Fundamental Research Fund for the Environmental Future from the Environmental Agency, "Assessment and Control of Risks to Progeny from Exposure to Complex Chemicals in the Environment" and a Grant-in-Aid from the Scientific Research Programs of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (Projects 12308030 and 13027101) . We acknowledge the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers in Japan to T.B. Minh (P00323) .

Received 25 January 2001 ; accepted 8 March 2001.