Publication Abstract

The risk of infection from polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - A case-control approach

The risk of infection from polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - A case-control approach

A.J. Hall, K. Hugunin, R. Deaville, R.J. Law, C.R. Allchin and P.D. Jepson

The objective of this study was to determine the risk of infectious disease death in harbour porpoise in UK waters in relation to exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs. We used a case-control study design. This is the first time data from a long-term marine mammal strandings scheme has been used to quantify the risk of infection with increasing exposure to PCBs (based on the sum of concentrations of 25 chlorobiphenyl congeners in the blubber, expressed on a lipid weight basis). The exposure odds ratio, after controlling for the effect of nutritional status, sex, age, region and season was 1.035 (95% CI 1.01 - 1.06). The adjusted odds ratio for a difference in blubber PCBs from 5 to 60 mg/kg showed a 10-fold increase in risk. For a difference of 20 mg/kg the odds ratio was 2.176 (95% CI 1.934 - 2.448). There is thus a significant increase in risk of infectious disease death with increasing exposure to PCBs in harbour porpoise in the North Sea. The case-control approach to estimate relative risk using odds ratios from cetacean strandings data is a powerful and robust method for epidemiological studies of exposure and response in marine mammals.

Reference:

A.J. Hall, K. Hugunin, R. Deaville, R.J. Law, C.R. Allchin and P.D. Jepson (2006) The risk of infection from polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - A case-control approach. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114: 704-711

A.J. Hall, K. Hugunin, R. Deaville, R.J. Law*, C.R. Allchin* and P.D. Jepson

Environmental Health Perspectives, 114: 704-711