Elevated serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers and alteration of thyroid hormones in children from Guiyu, China

• Published in: PloS one 2014-11, Vol.9 (11), p.e113699
• Main Authors: Xu, Xijin, Liu, Junxiao, Zeng, Xiang, Lu, Fangfang, Chen, Aimin, Huo, Xia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atomic absorption analysis; Atomic properties; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood; Blood levels; Cadmium; Cadmium content; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; China; Congeners; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Electronic equipment; Electronic waste; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental pollution; Environmental Pollution - adverse effects; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzymes; Epidemiology; Ethers; Female; Fish; Gas chromatography; Growth hormones; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - blood; Heavy metals; Hormones; Humans; Insulin; Insulin-like growth factor I; Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3; Insulin-like growth factors; Landfills; Lead; Male; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; PCB; Physical Sciences; Pollutants; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Protein binding; Radioimmunoassay; Recycling; Refuse Disposal; Regression analysis; Research and Analysis Methods; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Somatotropin; Spectral analysis; Spectroscopy; Thyroid; Thyroid gland; Thyroid hormones; Thyroid Hormones - blood; Thyroid-stimulating hormone; Thyrotropin; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Waste management; Womens health; Working hours
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113699

Informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling results in serious environmental pollution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and heavy metals. This study explored whether there is an association between PBDEs, heavy metal and key growth- and development-related hormones in children from Guiyu, an e-waste area in southern China. We quantified eight PBDE congeners using gas chromatographic mass spectrometry, lead and cadmium utilizing graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, three thyroids with radioimmunoassay and two types of growth hormones by an enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) in 162 children, 4 to 6 years old, from Guiyu. In blood, median total PBDE was 189.99 ng/g lipid. Lead and cadmium concentrations in blood averaged 14.53±4.85 µg dL-1 and 0.77±0.35 µg L-1, respectively. Spearman partial correlation analysis illustrated that lead was positively correlated with BDE153 and BDE183. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was positively correlated with almost all PBDE congeners and negatively correlated with insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), whereas free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) were negatively correlated with BDE154. However, no correlation between the hormones and blood lead or cadmium levels was found in this study. Adjusted multiple linear regression analysis showed that total PBDEs was negatively associated with FT3 and positively associated with TSH. Notably, FT4 was positively correlated with FT3, house functions as a workshop, and father's work involved in e-waste recycling and negatively correlated with vitamin consumptions. TSH was negatively related with FT4, paternal residence time in Guiyu, working hours of mother, and child bean products intake. IGFBP-3 was positively correlated with IGF-1 and house close to an e-waste dump. These results suggest that elevated PBDEs and heavy metals related to e-waste in Guiyu may be important risk factors for hormone alterations in children.