Serum concentrations of legacy and emerging halogenated flame retardants in a Norwegian cohort: Relationship to external exposure

• Published in: Environmental research 2019-11, Vol.178, p.108731, Article 108731
• Main Authors: Tay, Joo Hui, Sellström, Ulla, Papadopoulou, Eleni, Padilla-Sánchez, Juan Antonio, Haug, Line Småstuen, de Wit, Cynthia A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diet; Diet - statistics & numerical data; Dust; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants - blood; Exposure; Flame retardants; Flame Retardants - metabolism; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - blood; Norway; PBDEs; Serum
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108731

Sixty-one serum samples from a Norwegian cohort were analyzed for 43 emerging and legacy halogenated flame retardants (HFRs). BDE-47, -153, −197 and −209 were detected in >56% of the samples with median concentrations of 0.23, 1.0, 0.64 and 1.5 ng/g lipid, respectively. BDE-49, -85, −99, −100, −154, −206, −207, −208 as well as HBB, syn- and anti-DDC-CO, OBTMPI, DBDPE, α-HBCDD and TBBPA were also detected in some serum samples (detection frequencies of 2–36%). Other tri-octaBDEs, TBP-AE, α- and β-DBE-DBCH, BATE, pTBX, αβ-TBCO, PBBz, TBCT, PBT, PBEB, DPTE, EH-TBB, BTBPE, BEH-TEBP, HCDBCO, β- and γ-HBCDD were below the limits of detection (mLOD). Concentrations of individual BDE congeners detected in this study were within the range from previous European studies. Positive correlations were seen between concentrations of BDE-47 in dust and BDE-153 in serum, between BDE-153 in dust and BDE-153 in serum, and between BDE-153 masses in handwipes and BDE-47 concentrations in serum (Spearman’s rank, 0.29