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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and bioaccumulative hydroxylated PBDE metabolites in young humans from Managua, Nicaragua

Athanasiadou, Maria ; Cuadra, Steven LU ; Marsh, Göran ; Bergman, Åke and Jakobsson, Kristina LU (2008) In Environmental Health Perspectives 116(3). p.400-408
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a young urban population in a developing country, with focus on potentially highly exposed children working informally as scrap scavengers at a large municipal waste disposal site. We also set out to investigate whether hydroxylated metabolites, which not hitherto have been found retained in humans, could be detected. METHODS: We assessed PBDEs in pooled serum samples obtained in 2002 from children 11-15 years of age, working and sometimes also living at the municipal waste disposal site in Managua, and in nonworking urban children. The influence of fish consumption was evaluated in the children and in groups of women 15-44 years of age who differed... (More)
OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a young urban population in a developing country, with focus on potentially highly exposed children working informally as scrap scavengers at a large municipal waste disposal site. We also set out to investigate whether hydroxylated metabolites, which not hitherto have been found retained in humans, could be detected. METHODS: We assessed PBDEs in pooled serum samples obtained in 2002 from children 11-15 years of age, working and sometimes also living at the municipal waste disposal site in Managua, and in nonworking urban children. The influence of fish consumption was evaluated in the children and in groups of women 15-44 years of age who differed markedly in their fish consumption. Hydroxylated PBDEs were assessed as their methoxylated derivates. The chemical analyses were performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, using authentic reference substances. RESULTS: The children living and working at the waste disposal site showed very high levels of medium brominated diphenyl ethers. The levels observed in the referent children were comparable to contemporary observations in the United States. The exposure pattern was consistent with dust being the dominating source. The children with the highest PBDE levels also had the highest levels of hydroxylated metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpectedly, very high levels of PBDEs were found in children from an urban area in a developing country. Also, for the first time, hydroxylated PBDE metabolites were found to bioaccumulate in human serum. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
inhalation, exposure, human, fish consumption, children, brominated flame retardants, BFRs, metabolism, OH-PBDEs, waste disposal site
in
Environmental Health Perspectives
volume
116
issue
3
pages
400 - 408
publisher
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
external identifiers
  • wos:000253670600040
  • scopus:40849102532
ISSN
1552-9924
DOI
10.1289/ehp.10713
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b7d1c10d-721a-431a-9eb6-333cf027f396 (old id 1193622)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:22:51
date last changed
2023-06-09 08:28:55
@article{b7d1c10d-721a-431a-9eb6-333cf027f396,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a young urban population in a developing country, with focus on potentially highly exposed children working informally as scrap scavengers at a large municipal waste disposal site. We also set out to investigate whether hydroxylated metabolites, which not hitherto have been found retained in humans, could be detected. METHODS: We assessed PBDEs in pooled serum samples obtained in 2002 from children 11-15 years of age, working and sometimes also living at the municipal waste disposal site in Managua, and in nonworking urban children. The influence of fish consumption was evaluated in the children and in groups of women 15-44 years of age who differed markedly in their fish consumption. Hydroxylated PBDEs were assessed as their methoxylated derivates. The chemical analyses were performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, using authentic reference substances. RESULTS: The children living and working at the waste disposal site showed very high levels of medium brominated diphenyl ethers. The levels observed in the referent children were comparable to contemporary observations in the United States. The exposure pattern was consistent with dust being the dominating source. The children with the highest PBDE levels also had the highest levels of hydroxylated metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpectedly, very high levels of PBDEs were found in children from an urban area in a developing country. Also, for the first time, hydroxylated PBDE metabolites were found to bioaccumulate in human serum.}},
  author       = {{Athanasiadou, Maria and Cuadra, Steven and Marsh, Göran and Bergman, Åke and Jakobsson, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{1552-9924}},
  keywords     = {{inhalation; exposure; human; fish consumption; children; brominated flame retardants; BFRs; metabolism; OH-PBDEs; waste disposal site}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{400--408}},
  publisher    = {{National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences}},
  series       = {{Environmental Health Perspectives}},
  title        = {{Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and bioaccumulative hydroxylated PBDE metabolites in young humans from Managua, Nicaragua}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10713}},
  doi          = {{10.1289/ehp.10713}},
  volume       = {{116}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}