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Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Marine Fish and Dietary Exposure in Newfoundland

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Abstract

Presence of PBDEs tested in 127 liver samples from Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) and Turbot (Scophthalmus Maximus) and 80 adult participants from two rural Newfoundland communities. Seafood consumption was measured through a validated seafood consumption questionnaire. PBDEs (-28, -47, -99, -156, and -209) were found in all fish liver samples, and PBB-153 and PBDEs-28, -47, -99, -100, -153 were identified as the most prominent congeners from the participants' serum samples. Cod was the most frequently consumed species in the seafood consumption survey. PBB-153 was higher amongst older (> 50 years age) participants (p < 0.0001), however, no PBDE congeners were significantly different by age. PBB-153 (p = 0.001), PBDE-153 (p = 0.006), and 5PBDE (p = 0.008) levels were significantly higher in males. The study shows that the marine ecosystem around Newfoundland has been contaminated by PBDEs, and that rural coastal residents are potentially exposed to these contaminants through local seafood consumption.

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Acknowledgments

Our thanks to the eastern and central Newfoundland regional health authorities for providing technical support, and to the community members of Burin and NWV for their participation. Thanks also to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Marine Institute (Memorial University) for providing fish samples. The research was funded by Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada

    Nicole Babichuk, Atanu Sarkar & Shree Mulay

  2. Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada

    John Knight

  3. Department of Chemistry, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Joseph James Bautista

  4. Department of Chemistry, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Cora J. Young

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  1. Nicole Babichuk
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Babichuk, N., Sarkar, A., Mulay, S. et al. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Marine Fish and Dietary Exposure in Newfoundland. EcoHealth 19, 99–113 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-022-01582-y

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