O25.1 MEASUREMENT OF SERUM DIOXIN LEVELS IN FORMER CHLOROPHENOL WORKERS

J. J. Collins, M. L. Carson, C. J. Burns, R. A. Budinsky, L. Lamparski, G. D. Martin.Dow Chemical, 1803 Building, Midland, MI 48674 USA

Introduction: The Dow Chemical Company chlorophenol worker studies have examined several medical outcomes including causes of death, male mediated reproductive outcomes, and several dimensions of morbidity. These studies have been described in 17 published papers from 1980 to the present. This group of 2192 chlorophenol workers represents one of the largest groups at a single location examined for health effects from dioxin exposure. These workers have been followed for mortality since 1940, making them the longest followed population for examination of dioxin health effects. The Dow industrial hygiene monitoring data are the most comprehensive of any of the studies of industrial workers with potential dioxin exposures. Approximately 11% (245 of 2192) of the workers in these studies developed chloracne, indicating high dioxin exposures. While exposure estimates have been developed based on industrial hygiene monitoring, biomonitoring data have not been previously collected. This study describes biomonitoring for serum dioxin levels among a sample of these workers with the goal of improving exposure assessment for this group of chlorophenol workers to enhance future studies of potential health effects.

Methods: We randomly selected 24 male workers in each of three groups: (a) with chloracne employed mostly in the trichlorophenol (TCP) area, (b) with chloracne employed mostly in pentachlorophenol (PCP) area, and (c) workers with potential workplace dioxin exposure who did not develop chloracne. We frequency matched these workers on age and year of hire with workers in the same plant but with no potential workplace exposure to dioxins or furans. We measured 7 dioxins, 10 furans …