Serum polychlorinated biphenyls and leukocyte telomere length in a highly-exposed population: The Anniston Community Health Survey

Background Serum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have previously been associated with longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in most, but not all, of the few previous studies. PCBs were produced in Anniston, Alabama from 1929 to 1971 and participants of the Anniston Community Health Survey (ACHS) were highly exposed. Objectives We evaluated serum levels of 35 PCBs and relative telomere length in 559 ACHS participants. Methods Relative LTL was measured in DNA extracted from blood clots. We assessed PCBs individually, grouped by chlorination, and summed PCBs. We used linear regression to assess the association between each PCB metric while adjusting for pertinent covariates. Results Serum PCBs were associated with longer LTL among white participants and the oldest age group of black participants. Among white participants, compared with those in the first quartile of sum PCBs those in the third quartile of sum PCBs had 8.09% longer relative LTL (95% CI: 1.99; 14.55) and those in the fourth had 7.58% longer relative LTL (95%CI: − 0.01; 15.76) (p-quadratic = 0.05). Among African American participants, serum PCBs were associated with longer relative LTL among those over age 64 only. Tests for interaction were not statistically significant. Conclusions We observed a non-linear positive association between serum PCBs and LTL among white participants. Serum PCBs were associated with longer LTL in the oldest age group of African Americans. This association may provide insight into the cancers previously associated with exposure to PCBs, melanoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which have been associated with long LTL in previous studies.