Integrated risk assessment of dietary exposure and body burden of three brominated flame retardants in childbearing-aged Chinese women and breastfeeding infants

• Published in: Environmental research Vol. 269; p. 120881
• Main Authors: Zhao, Xuezhen, Zhang, Lei, Lyu, Bing, Li, Jingguang, Zhao, Yunfeng, Wu, Yongning, Shi, Zhixiong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 15.03.2025
• Subjects: Adult; average daily intake; Body Burden; Breast Feeding; breast milk; bromination; China; decabromodiphenyl ether; dietary exposure; Dietary Exposure - analysis; Dietary Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Environmental Pollutants - metabolism; Female; Flame Retardants - analysis; Flame Retardants - metabolism; food intake; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - metabolism; Health risks; hexabromocyclododecane; Human milk survey; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - analysis; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - metabolism; Infant; Infant, Newborn; lipids; Milk, Human - chemistry; Persistent organic pollutants; Polybrominated Biphenyls - analysis; Polybrominated Biphenyls - metabolism; Risk Assessment; Temporal trends; Total Diet Study; Young Adult; China; Temporal trends; Human milk survey; Persistent organic pollutants; Total diet study; Health risks
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.120881

Based on the third Chinese National Human Milk Survey (NHMS) conducted in 2016–2019, three typical legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs), namely decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs, sum of three isomers), were measured in 100 pooled human milk samples collected from 24 provinces across China. The median concentrations of BDE-209, TBBPA and HBCDDs were 0.27, 0.0468 and 5.01 ng/g lipid, respectively. BDE-209 and HBCDDs were detected in all samples, while TBBPA was detected in 97% of the samples, suggesting their widespread presence in the Chinese population. When compared to the two previous NHMSs conducted in 2007 and 2011–2013, respectively, the levels of BDE-209 and TBBPA showed in sharp decline in the most recent surveys. By contrast, HBCDD levels initially increased substantially but have since plateaued in the last two surveys. A comparison with data from the Chinese total diet study conducted in the same area and period reveal notable positive correlations between dietary intake of TBBPA and HBCDDs for childbearing-aged women (18–35 years old) through certain animal-derived foods and the corresponding BFR levels in human milk. For nursing infants, the average daily intake of TBBPA and BDE-209 is unlikely to pose considerable health risks. However, the 95th percentile (P95) and maximum margin of exposure (MOE) for HBCDDs were below the established MOE threshold, indicating that daily intake of HBCDDs could psoe health risks to infants in high-exposed areas, such as Northern China. •Legacy BFRs were detected in almost all the pooled human milk from across China.•Levels of TBBPA and BDE-209 decreased during 2007–2019 and 2011–2019, respectively.•HBCDDs showed a significant upward trend from 2007, but have slowed down recently.•Dietary TBBPA/HBCDD intakes significantly correlated with their levels in human milk.•HBCDD intake via breastfeeding caused health risks to Chinese infants with high exposure.