Polychlorinated biphenyls: the occurrence of the main congeners in follicular and sperm fluids.

We have studied the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls in human body fluids associated with reproduction. Since the polychlorinated biphenyls represent a family of compounds, 3 of the main congeners of this family were selected for this study. The distribution of these 3 congeners was investigated in 37 specimens of follicular fluid and in 16 specimens of sperm fluid. Both fluids showed a similar, low contamination with total polychlorinated biphenyls (ca. 10 micrograms/kg on average), but it was evident that the follicular fluids preferentially accumulated the more highly chlorinated components. This finding must be taken into account when interpreting the concentration levels of the main congeners in relation to total pollution and the toxic potential of polychlorinated biphenyls.