Human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), as evidenced by data from a duplicate diet study, indoor air, house dust, and biomonitoring in Germany

• Published in: Environment international Vol. 35; no. 8; pp. 1125 - 1135
• Main Authors: Fromme, Hermann, Körner, Wolfgang, Shahin, Nabil, Wanner, Antonia, Albrecht, Michael, Boehmer, Sigrun, Parlar, Harun, Mayer, Richard, Liebl, Bernhard, Bolte, Gabriele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Air; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - blood; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Biomonitoring; Blood; Body Burden; Congeners; Diet; Dust; Dust - analysis; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Exposure; Female; Flame Retardants - analysis; Food; Food Analysis; Germany; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - blood; Humans; Indoor; Indoor air; INES (sat nav sys); Intake; Intakes; Male; Mathematical models; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; PBDE; Reproduction; Toxicology; Young Adult; Europe; Germany; Germany, Bavaria; Dust; Biomonitoring; Diet; PBDE; Intake; Exposure; Blood; Food; Indoor air; Biological monitoring; Persistent organic pollutant; Trophic chain; Health and environment; Food industry; Bromine Organic compounds; Public health; Organic compounds; Human; House dust; Flame retardant; Volatile organic compound; Low volatile compound; Feeding; Indoor pollution; Air pollution
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2009.07.003
• ISSN: 0160-4120; 1873-6750

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are used as flame retardants in a wide variety of products. As part of the Integrated Exposure Assessment Survey (INES), this study aimed to characterize the exposure of an adult German population using duplicate diet samples, which were collected daily over seven consecutive days, and indoor air and house dust measurements. Our study population consisted of 27 female and 23 male healthy subjects, aged 14–60 years, all of whom resided in 34 homes in southern Bavaria. In these 34 residences the air was sampled using glass fiber filters and polyurethane foams and the dust was collected from used vacuum cleaner bags. The median (95th percentile) daily dietary intake of six Tetra- to HeptaBDE congeners was 1.2 ng/kg b.w. (3.3 ng/kg b.w.) or 67.8 ng/day (208 ng/day) (calculated from the 7-day median values of each study subject). Concentrations in indoor air and dust (cumulative Tri- to DecaBDE congener readings) ranged from 8.2 to 477 pg/m³ (median: 37.8 pg/m³) and 36.6 to 1580 ng/g (median: 386 ng/g), respectively. For some congeners, we identified a significant correlation between air and dust levels. The median (95th percentile) blood concentration of total Tetra- to HexaBDE congener readings was 5.6 (13.2) ng/g lipid. No significant sex differences were observed, but higher blood concentrations were found in younger participants. Using a simplified toxicokinetic model to predict the body burden from exposure doses led to results that were of the same order of magnitude as the measured blood concentrations. Based on these measurements and given our exposure assumptions, we estimated for the total tetra- to heptabrominated congener count an average (high) comprehensive total daily intake of 1.2 ng/kg b.w. (2.5 ng/kg b.w.). Overall, our results suggest that dietary exposure is the dominant intake pathway at least in our study population, responsible for 97% (average intake) and 95% (high intake) of the total intake of an adult population.