Fat, human

Menschen-alter, n. generation, -blut, n. human blood, -fett, n. human fat. -freund, m. philanthropist, -geschlecht, n. mankind, humanity, -kdrper, m. human body, -lehre, /. anthropology human teaching, -pocken, /.pi. smallpox. 

Larsen AA, Robinson, JM, Schmitt N, et al. 1971. Pesticide residues in mother s milk and human fat from intensive use of soil insecticides. HSMHA Health Reports 86(5) 477-481. 

As early as 1961 scientists looked for and found measurable levels of POCs, indeed POCs that would become classified as POPs, in human fat and by 1965 in human breast milk [77]. While something of a surprise at the time, the current understanding of bioaccumulation and biomagnification explain this, as humans tend to eat high in the food web. For people reliant on alpine sources for food then, it is possible that they are exposed to higher levels of certain POCs, i.e. those that are subject to efficient mountain cold-trapping, than are people nearer to the POC sources. 

Jan J. 1983. Chlorobenzene residues in human fat and milk. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 30 595-599. 

Mes J, Davies DJ, Turton D. 1985. Environmental contaminants in human fat A comparison between accidental and nonaccidental causes of death. Ecotoxicol Environ Safety 10 70-74. 

Dragoo JL, Choi JY, Lieberman JR, Huang J, Zuk PA, Zhang J, Hedrick MH, Ben haim P. Bone induction by BMP-2 transduced stem cells derived from human fat. J Orthop Res 2003 21 622-629. 

Kannan et al. (2005) HHCB was found in all human fat tissue examined where 86% contained AHTN, and the former was always detected in greater concentration than AHTN possibly because HHCB is produced/manufactured and used in larger quantities than AHTN. High concentrations of HHCB also have been encountered in Lake Michigan compared to AHTN (Peck and Hombuckle, 2004), and both HHCB and AHTN have also been detected in mothers milk (Rimkus and Wolf, 1996). Musks have some antiestrogenic effects (Schreurs et al., 2004). 

Symptoms of acute toxicity- are sunilar to those in humans, including hyperpyrexia and neurological and respiratory- dysfunction (WHO, 1987). Furthermore, pahnitoylpenta-chlorophenol, which has been isolated from human fat (Ansari et al., 1985), causes selective pancreatic toxicity in rats after single oral doses of 100 mg/kg bw (Ansari et al., 1987). 

Ansari, G.A.S., Britt, S.G. Reynolds, E.S. (1985) Isolation and characterization of palmitoyl-pentachlorophenol from human fat. Bull, environ. Contam. Toxicol., 34, 661-667... 

In animal fats stoarin is usually the most abundant constituent margarin more especially characterizes the vegotal and human fats olein is presontinbotb, though varying in Its nature in different kinds of oil. 

Environmental. The high lipophilicity of the cydodienes and the prolonged persistence of dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide (soil half-lives 2—10 yr) have resulted in severe environmental contamination. These compounds are bioaccumulated from water to fish up to 100,000- to 300,000-fold and are ubiquitous in human fat and milk. Oxychlordane [26880-48-8], mirex, and chlordecone are also bioaccumulative. The cydodienes are extremely toxic to fish with LC5Qs (ppm) to trout and bluegill of endrin, 0.001-0.002 endosulfan, 0.001-0.003 diddrin, 0.003-0.015 aldrin, 0.006-0.01 heptachlor, 0.03-0.026 and chlordane, 0.022—0.095. The LD5Qs to pheasant and mallard are aldrin 16.8 and 520, dieldrin 79 and 381, and endrin 1.6 and 5.6 mg/kg. As indicated by their rat oral LD - s, they are also extremdy toxic to small mammals in fact, endrin has been used as a rodenticide (see Pesticides). Compounds, eg, aldrin and heptachlor, which have unsubstituted double bonds, readily add oxygen to form epoxides in plant and animal tissues and are preferentially concentrated and stored in animal fats. Aldrin epoxide (dieldrin) and heptachlor epoxide are more stable (half-lives on alfalfa of seven to eight days) than aldrin and heptachlor (half-lives on alfalfa of less than one day). 

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs section 1.2) and dioxins have been most widely studied in this category. PCBs were used in a wide variety of industrial applications, for example as dielectrics in transformers. But they are very persistent contaminants, both in the general environment and in human fat. In theory the routes of entry into food are ... 

In practice there is little evidence for the migration of PCBs from packaging (JFSSG, 1999a). There is considerably more evidence for the other two routes leading to PCBs in food. Indeed, historical trends can be drawn up for residues of PCBs in human fat, breast milk and fish. There has been a very gradual decline in levels of these organochlorine compounds in the environment, food and human tissues. This is entirely consistent with the persistence of these compounds. 

It is difficult to assess human exposure to pesticides. Several studies have measured pesticide residues in human fat (MAFF, 1995) or human milk (MAFF, 1997), as both matrices are good indicators of long-term exposure, but they tell little of the subject s exposure to short-lived pesticides such as the OPs or pyrethroids. 

In a MAFF study (MAFF, 1995) of pesticides in human fat in the UK, 99% of samples analysed (n = 203) had detectable residues of DDT (as p,p -DDT, o,p-DDT, p,p -TDE and/or p,p -DDE). Since the fat samples were taken at routine autopsy, it is likely that most of the subjects were at least 70 years old and therefore had lived through times when DDT was permitted in the UK. Their residues reflect their lifetime exposure. Twenty-three per cent of the subjects had DDT fat residues between 1 and 9.3 mg.kg 1 which suggests higher exposures. These people might have been exposed directly during DDT s heyday, or might have been fond of oily fish which contains higher residues of OCs than most other foods. 

In the same MAFF study other long half-life OCs were also found in human fat (Table 10.7). Again these residues are indicative of the subjects lifetime exposures to these pesticides rather than indicating recent exposure. It is interesting that the shortest environmental half-life OC, namely lindane, has the lowest human fat residue frequency. 

Radon is slightly soluble in water, and obeys Henry s Law. At 20°C the partition coefficient (amount of radon per litre of water at equilibrium divided by the amount per litre of air) is 0.26. Despite the low solubility, water supplies derived locally from granite and metamorphic rocks can be an important source of airborne radon in dwellings (Nero Nazaroff, 1984 Hess etal., 1987). Radon is more soluble in fats and organic liquids, and the partition coefficient between air and human fat is about unity at 37°C. 

The earliest Australian survey of human fats was published by Bick (1967). Biopsy specimens of human body fat were collected from 53 individuals of the general population. In this sample, the mean concentrations of total DDT equivalent and dieldrin stored were 1.81 mg kg-1 (ppm) and 0.046 mg kg-1 (ppm), respectively (100% positive). 

Significantly higher levels of DDT and dieldrin were reported by Brady and Siyali (1972) in a survey of 75 human fat specimens. All the samples contained DDT and also HCB, which had not been previously reported in other surveys. An extensive NSW survey in 1988 was conducted by Ahmad et al. (1988) on 290 samples of human body fat obtained from the Westmead Hospital, Sydney. Western Australian levels of total DDT and dieldrin in body fats were shown to be elevated in the late 1960s. However by 1991 total DDT and dieldrin levels had decreased substantially (Stevens et al., 1993). 

As well, HCH isomers, including lindane, occur infrequently in human fats. Levels of up to 2.6 mg kg-1 were reported in 1972 by Siyali (1972). More recently, Quinsey et al. (1995) detected low median levels ( 0.1mg kg-1) of HCH isomers, with a measure of 4.4mg kg-1, in human milk fats for Victorian women. The presence of HCH isomers in all of the milk fats suggests a persistent background level of contamination in body fats consistent with POPs profiles for total HCH. 

However several POPs, particularly the OCPs and dioxins, remain at low levels in the Australian environment and several remain persistent at low levels in body fats and fluids of Australians. The levels reflect the past use and persistence of OCPs in the Australian environment, contamination of the food chain and the capacity of the body to metabolise and store in body fats. The dioxins remain due to the ubiquitous nature of their sources with combustion as a major source and their persistence. Future trends are likely to mean very low-level residues in human fats of DDE, cyclodienes, HCB, HCHs and dioxins in the long term. Their rate of decline will probably depend on removing HCB from chlorinated industrial chemicals and OCPs from the environment (e.g. remediation of contaminated soils) by hazardous waste treatment methods (e.g. physical, chemical and biological degradation or fixation) or secure landfill. 

Sheldon L, Umana M, Bursey J, et al. 1986. Biological monitoring techniques for human exposure to industrial chemicals Analysis of human fat, skin, nails, hair, blood, urine, and breath. Park Ridge, NJ Noyes Publications, 86-122. 

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