[Research advances in animal toxicology of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and expectations on their ecotoxicology].
As a kind of flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely applied in industrial products and house wears, and detected in soil, sediments, air, and living organisms. PBDEs are proved to be harmful to mammals, birds, and fish. Great concern has been aroused because of their wide spreading, stable structure, and uncertain risk to human health. Based on the foreign toxicological researches and findings, this paper summarized the accumulation and elimination of PBDEs in organisms, their effects on the hepatic enzyme activities, thyroid gland, nerve and immune system, and reproduction and development of animals, and potential risk to human health. The problems in PBDEs toxicological research were analyzed, and future directions in this field were discussed.
Xu
Zhi-qiang
ZQ
Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecological Process, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China. jackdonlv@163.com
Zhou
Qi-xing
QX
Zhang
Que
Q
Zhu
Ling-yan
LY
D000818:Animals; D004463:Ecology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000633:toxicity; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000633:toxicity*; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000633:toxicity*; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D014116:Toxicology / Q000379:methods*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D010647:Phenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls