title: Brominated flame retardant exposure of aircraft personnel.
abstract: The use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in aircraft is the result of high fire safety demands. Personnel working in or with aircraft might therefore be exposed to several BFRs. Previous studies have reported PBDE exposure in flight attendants and in passengers. One other group that may be subjected to significant BFR exposure via inhalation, are the aircraft maintenance workers. Personnel exposure both during flights and maintenance of aircraft, are investigated in the present study. Several BFRs were present in air and dust sampled during both the exposure scenarios; PBDEs, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and 1,2-bis (2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane. PBDEs were also analyzed in serum from pilots/cabin crew, maintenance workers and from a control group of individuals without any occupational aircraft exposure. Significantly higher concentrations of PBDEs were found in maintenance workers compared to pilots/cabin crew and control subjects with median total PBDE concentrations of 19, 6.8 and 6.6 pmol g(-1) lipids, respectively. Pilots and cabin crew had similar concentrations of most PBDEs as the control group, except for BDE-153 and BDE-154 which were significantly higher. Results indicate higher concentrations among some of the pilots compared to the cabin crew. It is however, evident that the cabin personnel have lower BFR exposures compared to maintenance workers that are exposed to such a degree that their blood levels are significantly different from the control group.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: anna.strid@mmk.su.se.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strid
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences/Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Greta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smedje
authors.affiliation: Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Athanassiadis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences/Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.affiliation: Aviation Medicine (HMS), Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), SE-195 87 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jakobsson
authors.affiliation: Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Åke
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Bergman
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D000401:Aircraft; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000032:analysis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004391:Dust; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; C089796:hexabromocyclododecane
keywords: Aircraft maintenance workers; BFRs; Cabin crew; Occupational exposure; Pilots