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Immunomodulation by Persistent Organic Pollutants
Citation:
LUEBKE, R. W., J. C. DeWitt, D. R. Gemolec, K. D. SALAZAR, AND N. Kerkvlie. Immunomodulation by Persistent Organic Pollutants. 3rd, Chapter 6, Arnold Schecter (ed.), Dioxins and Other Persistent Organic Pollutants and Health. John Wiley & Sons Incorporated, New York, NY, 1:171-192, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
The chapter presents an updated overview of immunomodulation caused by exposure to selected persistent organic pollutants, including dioxins and PCBs, perfluorinated compounds, OC pesticides and the biocide tributyltinthe immunotoxicity
Description:
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are widely distnbuted in the environment, are resistant to degradation, and increase in concentration (biomagnify) in the food chain. Concentrations in apical predators may be tens to hundreds of times greater than concentrations in their preferred prey, fueling concern that the presence of relatively small concentrations at lower trophic levels will translate into health-threatening concentrations in top predators, including humans. The Stockholm Convention, an international instrument to reduce or eliminate the production or release of persistent organics known to cause adverse human and ecosystem health, initially identified twelve POPS to be banned or used only with restrictions (http://chm.pops.int/default.aspx). The original "dirty dozen" include organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dioxins and furans (as a single entry) and a chlorinated fungicide/industrial solvent (hexachlorobenzene, HCB). The list was expanded in 2009 to add certain non-chlorinated compounds, including pertluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and brominated fire retardants. Dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs, pertluorinated compounds and organochlorine pesticides are well documented immunotoxicants that cause persistent alteration of immune function if exposure occurs during gestation, and these chemicals were chosen for review in this chapter. Tributyltin (TBT) is a persistent and widely distributed immunotoxic organic pollutant; although not currently subject to the Stockholm protocol, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's oral reference dose for TBT is based on increased susceptibility to infection (http://www.epa.gov/IRIS/subst/0349.htm) and was therefore also selected for review.