Recommendations for evaluating temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in breast milk

Tenzing Gyalpo; Martin Scheringer; Konrad Hungerbühler

doi:10.1289/ehp.1510219

Recommendations for evaluating temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in breast milk

Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research

Standard

Recommendations for evaluating temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in breast milk. / Gyalpo, Tenzing; Scheringer, Martin; Hungerbühler, Konrad.
In: Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 124, No. 7, 01.07.2016, p. 881-885.

Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research

Bibtex

@article{c9639bc09b384b7f981794b95ab680a9,

title = "Recommendations for evaluating temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in breast milk",

abstract = "Background: Biomonitoring data of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in breast milk are increasingly collected and available for quantitative analysis of levels and time trends. A common approach is to apply log-linear regression to calculate doubling and halving times of the POP concentrations based on the temporal trend observed in breast milk. However, there are different, sometimes conflicting interpretations of these doubling and halving times. Objectives: We provide a mechanistic understanding of doubling and halving times where possible. Five recommendations are proposed for dealing with POP concentration trends in breast milk during three distinct periods (pre-ban, transition, post-ban period). Discussion: Using temporal trends of BDE-47 and PCB-153 in breast milk data, we show which information can be gained from the time-trend data. To this end, we analyzed time trends of hypothetical POPs for different periods with time-variant exposure and different intrinsic elimination half-lives, using a dynamic population-based pharmacokinetic model. Different pieces of information can be extracted from time-trend data from different periods. The analysis of trends of shortlived POPs is rather straightforward and facilitates extraction of the intrinsic elimination half-lives from the breast milk data. However, trends of slowly eliminated POPs only provide indications for the exposure time trend. Conclusions: Time-trend data of rapidly eliminated POPs provide information on exposure time trends and elimination half-lives. Temporal trends of slowly eliminated POPs are more complicated to interpret, and the extraction of exposure time trends and elimination half-lives require data sets covering several decades.",

keywords = "Chemistry",

author = "Tenzing Gyalpo and Martin Scheringer and Konrad Hungerb{\"u}hler",

year = "2016",

month = jul,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1289/ehp.1510219",

language = "English",

volume = "124",

pages = "881--885",

journal = "Environmental Health Perspectives",

issn = "0091-6765",

publisher = "Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services",

number = "7",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Recommendations for evaluating temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in breast milk

AU - Gyalpo, Tenzing

AU - Scheringer, Martin

AU - Hungerbühler, Konrad

PY - 2016/7/1

Y1 - 2016/7/1

N2 - Background: Biomonitoring data of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in breast milk are increasingly collected and available for quantitative analysis of levels and time trends. A common approach is to apply log-linear regression to calculate doubling and halving times of the POP concentrations based on the temporal trend observed in breast milk. However, there are different, sometimes conflicting interpretations of these doubling and halving times. Objectives: We provide a mechanistic understanding of doubling and halving times where possible. Five recommendations are proposed for dealing with POP concentration trends in breast milk during three distinct periods (pre-ban, transition, post-ban period). Discussion: Using temporal trends of BDE-47 and PCB-153 in breast milk data, we show which information can be gained from the time-trend data. To this end, we analyzed time trends of hypothetical POPs for different periods with time-variant exposure and different intrinsic elimination half-lives, using a dynamic population-based pharmacokinetic model. Different pieces of information can be extracted from time-trend data from different periods. The analysis of trends of shortlived POPs is rather straightforward and facilitates extraction of the intrinsic elimination half-lives from the breast milk data. However, trends of slowly eliminated POPs only provide indications for the exposure time trend. Conclusions: Time-trend data of rapidly eliminated POPs provide information on exposure time trends and elimination half-lives. Temporal trends of slowly eliminated POPs are more complicated to interpret, and the extraction of exposure time trends and elimination half-lives require data sets covering several decades.

AB - Background: Biomonitoring data of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in breast milk are increasingly collected and available for quantitative analysis of levels and time trends. A common approach is to apply log-linear regression to calculate doubling and halving times of the POP concentrations based on the temporal trend observed in breast milk. However, there are different, sometimes conflicting interpretations of these doubling and halving times. Objectives: We provide a mechanistic understanding of doubling and halving times where possible. Five recommendations are proposed for dealing with POP concentration trends in breast milk during three distinct periods (pre-ban, transition, post-ban period). Discussion: Using temporal trends of BDE-47 and PCB-153 in breast milk data, we show which information can be gained from the time-trend data. To this end, we analyzed time trends of hypothetical POPs for different periods with time-variant exposure and different intrinsic elimination half-lives, using a dynamic population-based pharmacokinetic model. Different pieces of information can be extracted from time-trend data from different periods. The analysis of trends of shortlived POPs is rather straightforward and facilitates extraction of the intrinsic elimination half-lives from the breast milk data. However, trends of slowly eliminated POPs only provide indications for the exposure time trend. Conclusions: Time-trend data of rapidly eliminated POPs provide information on exposure time trends and elimination half-lives. Temporal trends of slowly eliminated POPs are more complicated to interpret, and the extraction of exposure time trends and elimination half-lives require data sets covering several decades.

KW - Chemistry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84977178385&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/1f64512b-a64d-3f75-b7cf-6df6ae6c08d3/

U2 - 10.1289/ehp.1510219

DO - 10.1289/ehp.1510219

M3 - Comments / Debate / Reports

C2 - 26672061

AN - SCOPUS:84977178385

VL - 124

SP - 881

EP - 885

JO - Environmental Health Perspectives

JF - Environmental Health Perspectives

SN - 0091-6765

IS - 7

ER -

Related by journal

Comment on “fluorotechnology is critical to modern life: The FluoroCouncil counterpoint to the madrid statement”

Cousins, I. T., Balan, S. A., Scheringer, M., Weber, R., Wang, Z., Blum, A., Diamond, M., Fletcher, T., Goldenman, G., Higgins, C., Lindeman, A. E., Peaslee, G., Trier, X. & De Voogt, P., 01.07.2015, In: Environmental Health Perspectives. 123, 7, p. A170 - A171 2 p.