Consumption of fish and shellfish from contaminated areas may be an important source of human exposure to persistent organohalogen compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). We determined concentrations of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDDs and PCDFs and 19 PCB congeners in whole blood samples from three group...

ORGANOHALOGEN COMPOUNDS – Volume 66 (2004) 2882 Introduction PCB congeners possess extremely high lipophilicity and biological stability, and as a result they are not easily eliminated from the body once ingested. In particular, not only 2,4,5-trichlorosubstituted but also 6 or more chlorine-substituted PCBs such as 2,2’,3’,4,4’,5-hexa-chlorobiphenyl (hexaCB) (CB138), 2,2’,4,4’,5,5’-hexaCB (CB1...

BACKGROUND Organohalogen compounds (OHCs) are known to have neurotoxic effects on the developing brain. OBJECTIVE We investigated the influence of prenatal exposure to OHCs, including brominated flame retardants, on motor, cognitive, and behavioral outcome in healthy children of school age. METHODS This study was part of the prospective Groningen infant COMPARE (Comparison of Exposure-Effec...

The paper “Enhanced reactivity of nitrogenous organohalogen formation from plant litter to bacteria," by Wang et al., presents a refreshing take on the natural formation of organohalogens, focusing on halogenation of bacterial cultures and monomers. The hypothesis is novel, the data are clearly presented and discussed, and the results are compelling. After reading the manuscript, I have a few l...

The paper “Enhanced reactivity of nitrogenous organohalogen formation from plant litter to bacteria," by Wang et al., presents a refreshing take on the natural formation of organohalogens, focusing on halogenation of bacterial cultures and monomers. The hypothesis is novel, the data are clearly presented and discussed, and the results are compelling. After reading the manuscript, I have a few l...

ORGANOHALOGEN COMPOUNDS – Volume 66 (2004) 456 Introduction Toxaphene is an insecticidal mixture, produced by the controlled photochlorination of camphene. In the USSR similar insecticide – Polychloropinene was produced by chlorination of α-pinene with AIBN (azobisisobutyronitrile) as initiator. Natural camphene occurs in different essential oils in (+)-form as well as (–)-form. Production of a...