155811 Triana, Alabama cohort: A study of women highly exposed to organochlorine compounds

Tuesday, November 6, 2007: 9:20 AM

Jennifer A. Rusiecki, PhD , Dept. of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD
Julia Gray, MPH , School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Jane Cash, PhD , MTJINC, Scottsboro, AL
C. Fay Raines, PhD , University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Rahulkumar Patel, MS , Dept. of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD
Matthew R. Bonner , University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Shelia Zahm, ScD , Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Louise Brinton, PhD , Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Thomas J. Mason, PhD , College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Larry L. Needham, PhD , National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Wayman Turner, MS , National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Robert Hoover, PhD , Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Aaron Blair, PhD , Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
  
Introduction: From 1940 to 1970, a now defunct chemical factory discharged approximately 400 tons of DDT into a Tennessee River tributary upstream from Triana, Alabama, a rural, predominantly African-American community of about 600. A 1979 CDC investigation found average DDT/DDE levels nearly 10 times higher than the U.S. population. The National Cancer Institute, University of Alabama Huntsville College of Nursing, and Triana Area Medical Fund (TAMF) re-contacted members of the Triana cohort to investigate their exposure to these chemicals and evaluate breast disease and reproductive health. Methods: In 1998, 228 Triana women were offered mammograms, had blood drawn, and completed a questionnaire about lifestyle, medical/reproductive history, and demographics. Lifetime exposure to various organochlorines was measured in the 1998 blood sample, and 81 of the study participants also had serum DDT/DDE measurements from 1979. We investigated breast density and reproductive health with respect to serum organochlorine concentration in 1998 and factors influencing DDT/DDE decay from 1979 to 1998. Results: Organochlorine levels in 1998 were still very high, exceeding those in all previous U.S. studies, including NHANES. We did not find strong associations between organochlorine blood concentrations and mammographic density or adverse reproductive health outcomes. The factors most strongly associated with 1998 DDE serum levels were age and 1979 serum levels. Conclusions: This is the first study to follow up this highly exposed population. Serum organochlorine levels remain high, but we did not find any strong evidence for an association between these levels and mammographic density and reproductive health outcomes evaluated.

Learning Objectives:
Recognize the level of severity of exposure to organochlorine chemicals incurred by a population of women living in Triana, Alabama. Describe the association between lifetime body burden of organochlorine chemicals as measured in blood serum concentrations and mammographic density and adverse reproductive health outcomes found in this population of women. Articulate factors that influenced the decay of organochlorine chemicals in blood serum over time.

Keywords: Pesticides, Breast Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Environmental Epidemiology
See more of: Epidemiology