Mixture Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Three Organochlorine Pesticides on Cognitive Function in Mohawk Adults at Akwesasne

Nozomi Sasaki, Laura E. Jones, Gayle S. Morse, David O. Carpenter and on behalf of the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment
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Nozomi Sasaki: Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
Laura E. Jones: Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
Gayle S. Morse: Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
David O. Carpenter: Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: The Mohawks at Akwesasne have been highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), via releases from three aluminum foundries located near the reserve. They are also exposed to organochlorine pesticides, namely hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and mirex. Previous studies have demonstrated reduced cognition in relation to total PCBs, but the effects of the mixtures of different PCB congener groups, HCB, DDE, and mirex on cognitive function have not been studied. Therefore, cognitive performance for executive function, scored via the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), in Mohawk adults aged 17–79 years ( n = 301), was assessed in relation to serum concentrations of low-chlorinated PCBs, high-chlorinated PCBs, total PCBs, HCB, DDE, and mirex. We used mixture models employing the quantile-based g-computation method. The mixture effects of low-chlorinated PCBs, high-chlorinated PCBs, HCB, DDE, and mirex were significantly associated with 4.01 DSST scores decrements in the oldest age group, 47–79 years old. There were important contributions to mixture effects from low-chlorinated PCBs, high-chlorinated PCBs, and total PCBs, with smaller contributions of HCB and DDE. Our findings indicate that exposures to both low- and high-chlorinated PCBs increase the risk of cognitive decline in older adults, while DDE and HCB have less effect.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; DSST; native americans; PCBs; HCB; DDE; mirex; mixture effects; g-computation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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