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Dolores Ozalla,¹ Carmen Herrero,¹ Núria Ribas-Fitó,² Jordi To-Figueras,³ Agustí Toll,¹ Maria Sala,² Joan Grimalt,⁴ Xavier Basagaña,² Màrius Lecha,¹ and Jordi Sunyer²

¹Porphyria Unit, Department of Dermatology, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ²Respiratory and Environmental Research Unit, Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ³Toxicology Unit, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ⁴Department of Environmental Chemistry, ICER-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

The existence of a link between hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and porphyria cutanea tarda has been known for a long time. However, the epidemiologic data on effects on health caused by prenatal exposure have not provided convincing evidence that HCB alters porphyrin metabolism. Our objectives were to analyze urinary porphyrin excretion and HCB in maternal serum and fetal cord blood in neonates born in a village (Flix) near a chlorinated solvent factory, to detect possible adverse effects in urinary porphyrin excretion caused by prenatal exposure, and to assess their relationship with HCB blood levels. We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Porphyria Unit at a tertiary care facility in Barcelona, Spain, and the Pediatric Unit of the Móra d'Ebre Hospital, the reference hospital of the study area. We included in the study all neonates (n = 68) born in Móra d'Ebre Hospital 1997-1999 and their mothers. We obtained 68 urine specimens of singleton neonates on the third day after birth to test for urinary porphyrin excretion. We obtained 52 fetal cord blood and 56 maternal serum samples for HCB analysis. Total urinary porphyrins were quantified using spectrofluorometry. Porphyrin profile was determined by HPLC. Serum HCB was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detection. In total population, median HCB levels were 1.08 ng/mL in cord blood and 3.31 ng/mL in maternal serum. Total urinary porphyrin concentration was 37.87 µmol/mol creatinine. Coproporphyrin I and coproporphyrin III were the major porphyrins excreted. We found no positive relationship between urinary porphyrin excretion and HCB levels. However, we observed an association between maternal smoking and coproporphyrin excretion. Although high environmental levels of HCB are reported in the town of Flix, we found no alteration in urinary porphyrin excretion. Key words: coproporphyrin I, coproporphyrin III, hexachlorobenzene, neonates, porphyria, uroporphyrin. Environ Health Perspect 110:205-209 (2002) . [Online 18 January 2002]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110p205-209ozalla/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to D. Ozalla, Hospital Clínic. Department of Dermatology, Esc.0 4^a Planta, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. Telephone: 34 93 2275400. Fax: 34 93 2275438. E-mail: mdozalla@clinic.ub.es

We thank C. Mazón and A. Verdú of the pediatric department of the Hospital of Móra d'Ebre for their collaboration. We are indebted to the subjects and their families for their willingness to participate, and also thank L. Alvarez for creatinine determinations.

This study was supported by grants 99/0141 and 97/1102 from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FISS) , Madrid, Spain, and in part by grants from Fundació La Caixa 97/009.00.

Received 12 March 2001 ; accepted 18 July 2001.