title: Levels and congener profiles of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in breast milk from Shanghai: implication for exposure route of higher brominated BDEs.
abstract: Breast milk has been widely used as a bioindicator to assess the extent of human exposure to PBDEs via various exposure routes. In this study, 48 breast milk samples were collected from primiparous women in Shanghai city, and 14 PBDEs congeners (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, -183, -196, -197, -203, -206, -207, -208, and -209) were quantified using gas chromatography-electron capture negative ionization-mass spectrometry. The mean concentration of total PBDEs was 8.6 ng/g lipid weight, and ranged from 1.8 to 26.7 ng/g lipid weight. These concentration levels were similar to those reported in Europe and Asia, but one order of magnitude lower than those in North America. The congener profiles in this study exhibited a specific pattern in human milk found worldwide, BDE-153 and BDE-28 accounted for a relatively higher proportion of lower brominated BDEs (from tri- to hepta-BDEs), whereas higher brominated BDEs (from octa- to deca-BDEs) contributed more than 70% of the total PBDEs. The Spearman's correlation coefficient among higher brominated BDEs showed a positive relationship, and concentration levels of higher brominated BDEs were statistically different between office workers and housewives. Due to relatively higher proportion of PBDEs from octa- to deca-BDEs were detected, air inhalation and dust ingestion might be the major exposure routes of higher brominated BDEs. Further research is needed to clarify the major exposure route of higher brominated BDEs to humans.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environment Protection and Resource Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Shengtao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guofa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Ping'an
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Guoying
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Jiamo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; C517828:hexabrominated diphenyl ether 153; C533760:tribromodiphenyl ether 28