High Blood Levels of Environmental Pollutant Linked to Premature Death

PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) are a group of environmental pollutants that are subject to restrictions in many countries and the prohibitions have led to lower levels of PCBs in the environment. But when these substances are broken down very slowly and stored in fatty tissue, they are still present in animals and humans. Especially PCBs with many chlorine atoms in the molecule remain in the blood of most Swedes. The so-called PIVUS study comprises more than 1,000 randomly selected 70-year-olds in Uppsala who have been followed for a long time. In the current study, levels of PCBs in the blood were measured in 2001–2004 and then also at 75 years of age. Follow-up of those who died during a ten-year period showed that the individuals who had the highest levels of PCBs with many chlorine atoms in the blood had an excess mortality of about 50 percent, especially in cardiovascular disease, compared to other groups. This corresponds to approximately seven extra deaths during the ten-year follow-up period. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/high-blood-levels-of-environmental-pollutant-linked-to-premature-death-318767?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72164716&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--UwBZpmxjWCDATHeYHWWKoGCW2Gy42FFDKYWg646zZ8f37e089XdrJRocM9t9KgabdYw8u6C2fHekM_yKAz5lm7pCo8w&_hsmi=72164717