dieldrin and Acute-Disease

We investigated whether organochlorine exposure is associated with the incidence of infectious diseases in Inuit infants from Nunavik (Arctic Quebec, Canada). We compiled the number of infectious disease episodes during the first year of life for 98 breast-fed and 73 bottle-fed infants. Concentrations of organochlorines were measured in early breast milk samples and used as surrogates to prenatal exposure levels. Immune system parameters were determined in venous blood samples collected from infants at 3, 7, and 12 months of age. Otitis media was the most frequent disease, with 80. 0% of breast-fed and 81.3% of bottle-fed infants experiencing at least one episode during the first year of life. During the second follow-up period, the risk of otitis media increased with prenatal exposure to p,p'-DDE, hexachlorobenzene, and dieldrin. The relative risk (RR) for 4- to 7-month-old infants in the highest tertile of p, p'-DDE exposure as compared to infants in the lowest tertile was 1. 87 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-3.26]. The RR of otitis media over the entire first year of life also increased with prenatal exposure to p,p'-DDE (RR, 1.52; CI, 1.05-2.22) and hexachlorobenzene (RR, 1.49; CI, 1.10-2.03). Furthermore, the RR of recurrent otitis media ( [Greater/equal to] 3 episodes) increased with prenatal exposure to these compounds. No clinically relevant differences were noted between breast-fed and bottle-fed infants with regard to immunologic parameters, and prenatal organochlorine exposure was not associated with immunologic parameters. We conclude that prenatal organochlorine exposure could be a risk factor for acute otitis media in Inuit infants.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Arctic Regions; Bottle Feeding; Breast Feeding; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; Dieldrin; Disease Susceptibility; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Epidemiological Monitoring; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hexachlorobenzene; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infections; Insecticides; Inuit; Male; Maternal Exposure; Otitis Media; Population Surveillance; Quebec; Risk Factors

Sixteen patients acutely poisoned with aldrin were examined to evaluate a possible correlation between serum aldrin and dieldrin levels and clinical complaints. The patients were classified as having mild (N = 8), moderate (N = 5) or severe (N = 3) poisoning according to clinical symptoms. Concentrations of less than 20 micrograms/l were usually associated with mild poisoning, which involved complaints such as nausea, vomiting and epigastric pain, whereas concentrations of 100 to 200 micrograms/l were considered to represent moderate intoxication and were associated with nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, headache, dizziness, and convulsions. Severe or fatal cases were associated with levels above 700 micrograms/l. Taken together, these results suggest that serum aldrin and dieldrin levels can be used as indicators of clinical prognosis after acute poisoning with these insecticides and that convulsions could suddenly occur even in the absence of prodromal signs or symptoms.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Aldrin; Child, Preschool; Chromatography, Gas; Dieldrin; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Prognosis; Seizures

In the attempt to correlate clinical findings with serum levels of aldrin, sixteen patients were followed-up after acute intoxication by this agent. Eight of them, males and females, aged from 1 to 37 years, presented no or light symptoms (some discomfort and nausea). The serum of one of these patients was found to contain 16.6 ppb of aldrin and that of another, 1.41 ppb of dieldrin. A group of five patients, aged from two to 30 years, showed symptoms of moderate severity, reporting nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dyspnea, sweating, mild jerking, rise in blood pressure and convulsions. Of these cases, two were accidental and three were attempted suicides, the majority achieving complete recovery within 24 hours. Serum levels of aldrin were between 6.98 ppb and 26.3 ppb and of dieldrin between 82.00 and 314.18 ppb. We found three severe cases, aged from 21 to 35 years, two attempted suicides and one occupational case. Two of these patients died and one of them presented hypothermia, coma, absence of reflexes and generalized convulsions, and another presented abdominal pain, paleness, sweating, cold extremities, dyspnea, hyperthermia and generalized convulsions. In the first one that died the serum levels were: of aldrin 30.00 ppb and of dieldrin 720 ppb. In the other levels of 747.3 ppb of aldrin and 1,314.00 ppb of dieldrin were found. The third had less serious symptoms and presented serum levels of aldrin of 31.05 ppb and of dieldrin 147.11 ppb.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Aldrin; Child, Preschool; Dieldrin; Female; Humans; Infant; Male