| 01/12/2005
- A new study reveals that people exposed to high levels
of persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) might be
at risk of developing diabetes. The
study, published on November 29 in the open access journal
Environmental Health, reveals that exposure to high levels
of POPs, a family of toxic chemicals that includes polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and the insecticide DDT, is associated
with a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
in a population of fishermen and their wives, with high
consumption of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea.
POPs are by-products of industrial
and agricultural processes and are widespread in the environment.
In the study, Lars Rylander and colleagues from the University
of Lund, Sweden, studied the incidence of type 2 diabetes
in 196 fishermen and 184 fishermen's wives, and analysed
levels in their blood of the POP residue CB-153, and DDE,
the main by-product of DDT. Levels of both residues reflect
exposure to POPs.
Results show that 6% of men and 5%
of women who took part in the study have diabetes. Those
that were found to have type 2 diabetes have significantly
higher blood levels of both CB-153 and DDE than non-diabetics
in the group of fisherman and fisherman's wives, which
suggests high exposure to POPs. A statistical analysis
of the results shows that exposure to CB-153 and DDE is
significantly associated with a high prevalence of diabetes.
Notes to Editors:
The full study entitled “A Cross-sectional
study of the association between persistent organochlorine
pollutants and diabetes,” by Lars Rylander, Anna Rignell-Hydbom
and Lars Hagmar, is available from the journal Environmental
Health website at http://www.ehjournal.net/
For further information about the
study contact Dr. Lars Hagmar by email at lars.hagmar@med.lu.se
or by phone at +46702881789 |
