273184 Vietnam and California biomonitoring for dioxins and other POPs

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 5:30 PM - 5:50 PM

Myrto Petreas , Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Berkeley, CA
In Vietnam, TCDD has been of major interest because of Agent Orange. However, other persistent organics have been found in humans and the environment. The California approach towards measuring these can be helpful in Vietnam and is described here as one option for collecting important information about contamination with these compounds. In 2006, California passed legislation establishing the first State Biomonitoring Program in the USA. The main goals are to: 1) Determine levels of environmental chemical contaminants in a representative sample of Californians; 2) Establish trends in the levels of these chemicals over time; 3) Assess the effectiveness of public health efforts and regulatory programs to decrease exposures to specific chemicals. As part of the Biomonitoring Program, our laboratory is conducting analyses for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), PCBs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), triclosan, phenols, OH-PCBs and OH-BDEs. Prior to this Program, we had conducted a number of epidemiologic studies using specimens collected from the 1960s to the present. We had first reported the decline of dioxins, OCPs and PCBs. We also reported the absence of PBDEs in serum samples from 1960s California populations as opposed to their presence in samples collected in the 1990s. We could trace the increase of PFOA from the1960s to the 1980s, followed by a slight decrease in 2009. On the other hand, PFOS and PFHxS were highest in the 1960s, with similar decreasing trends from the1980s to 2009. In addition to addressing the research hypotheses of each epidemiologic study, data compiled across studies can show trends such as the emergence of PBDEs and Triclosan, and the decline in PCBs, Pentachlorophenol, OCPs and some PFCs over time. In addition, determinants of exposures (age, country of birth, ethnicity and reproductive history) can be identified, allowing for optimal sampling designs to account for the population diversity in California and can also be used in questionnaires to assess exposures. These data help establish a baseline before the new Biomonitoring Program launches its state-wide surveys. They also provide insight for Biomonitoring Programs in other regions and countries, such as Vietnam.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Occupational health and safety

Learning Objectives:
1. Explain California's approach to determining chemical exposure. 2. Describe how California's approach to chemical exposure would be useful in Vietnam.

Keywords: Agent Orange, Vietnam

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: NA

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am chief of the Environmental Chemistry Branch at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.

Back to: 3450.0: Lessons from the Vietnam War