title: Assessing infant exposure to persistent organic pollutants via dietary intake in Australia.
abstract: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); organochlorine pesticides (OCPs); and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) persist in the environment, bioaccumulate, and pose a risk of causing adverse human health effects. Typically, exposure assessments undertaken by modeling existing intake data underestimate the concentrations of these chemicals in infants. This study aimed to determine concentrations of POPs in infant foods, assess exposure via dietary intake and compare this to historical exposure. Fruit purees, meat and vegetables, dairy desserts, cereals and jelly foods (n = 33) purchased in 2013 in Brisbane, Australia were analyzed. For OCPs and PCBs, concentrations ranged up to 95 pg/g fw and for PBDEs up to 32 pg/g fw with most analytes below the limit of detection. Daily intake is dependent on type and quantity of foods consumed. Consumption of a 140 g meal would result in intake ranging from 0 to 4.2 ng/day, 4.4 ng/day and 13.3 ng/day, for OCPs, PBDEs and PCBs, respectively. PBDEs were detected in 3/33 samples, OCPs in 9/33 samples and PCBs in 13/33 samples. Results from this study indicate exposure for infants via dietary (in contrast to dust and breast milk) intake in Australia contribute only a minor component to total exposure.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Social Work and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, 4001, Australia. Electronic address: leisamaree.toms@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Leisa-Maree Leontjew
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Toms
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hearn
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Jochen F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematical Sciences and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Fiona A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Harden
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D005506:Food Contamination; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000737:chemistry*; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000032:analysis*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Baby foods; Exposure; Organochlorine pesticides; Persistent organic pollutants; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Polychlorinated biphenyls