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Human Exposure to Brominated Flame Retardants

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Brominated Flame Retardants

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 16))

Abstract

Human polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure occurs through a range of pathways including: ingestion of dust including hand-to-mouth contact; inhalation (air/particulate matter); and ingestion via food including the unique nutrition sources of human milk and placental transfer. While inhalation has been deemed a minor source of exposure, ingestion of food and dust make greater contributions to overall PBDE body burden with intake via dust reported to be much higher in infants than in adults.

PBDEs have been detected in samples of human milk, blood serum, cord blood, and adipose tissue worldwide. Concentrations have been found to be highest in populations from North America, followed by Australia, Europe, and Asia. While factors such as gender and parity may not affect concentrations, occupational exposure and age (infants and children) are associated with higher PBDE concentrations. In contrast to “traditional” persistent organic pollutants, there is an inverse relationship between PBDE body burden and age. Predicted body burden calculated using available information on intake and elimination rates of BFRs appears to underestimate measured human body burden data obtained through analysis of BFRs in blood or human milk. This may be due to unknown exposure or inaccurate elimination data. Further exposure studies should focus on younger age groups and an investigation of human PBDE half-lives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, 4108, QLD, Australia

    Leisa-Maree L. Toms, Laurence Hearn & Jochen F. Mueller

  2. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, MS F-17, Atlanta, GA, 30341-3724, USA

    Andreas Sjödin

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  1. Leisa-Maree L. Toms
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  2. Laurence Hearn
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  3. Andreas Sjödin
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  4. Jochen F. Mueller
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  1. , Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Ethel Eljarrat

  2. , Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Damià Barceló

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Toms, LM.L., Hearn, L., Sjödin, A., Mueller, J.F. (2010). Human Exposure to Brominated Flame Retardants. In: Eljarrat, E., Barceló, D. (eds) Brominated Flame Retardants. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry(), vol 16. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2010_90

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