title: Occurrences of major polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in maternal and fetal cord blood sera in Korea.
abstract: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are of growing public health concern because of their potential toxicities which range from endocrine disruption to neurodevelopment. However, information on their exposure among sensitive human populations is limited. The objectives of this study were to determine the levels of major PBDEs in blood sera of pregnant women and their matching newborn infants. For this purpose, a total of 198 maternal blood samples and 118 matching umbilical cord blood samples were collected from four regions of South Korea in 2011, and were determined for 19 PBDE congeners. Various demographic, dietary, and behavioral characteristics were asked in a questionnaire survey. Average concentration of total PBDEs in maternal blood serum was 3.34 ± 8.42 ng/g lipid weight (lw) at delivery and 3.14 ± 7.46 ng/g lw at 6 months of pregnancy, respectively. In cord blood serum, an average of 9.37 ± 12.60 ng/g lw was detected. Among the measured PBDE congeners, BDE-47, BDE-99 and BDE-153 were most dominant in both maternal and cord blood sera. Relatively higher levels of BDE-99 were detected in cord blood serum. Strong positive correlations were detected between maternal and cord blood serum samples, indicating the importance of maternal transfer. Health consequences of transplacental exposure to PBDEs among fetuses and newborn infants warrant further investigation.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gyuyeon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sungjoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sunmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sungkyoon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Natural Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Youngeun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Korea University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hai-Joong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Jae
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sunggyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo-Bang
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sooran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyungho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: College of Natural Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jeongim@sch.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jeongim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers
keywords: BDE-153; BDE-47; BDE-99; Infant; Pregnant women; Transplacental