Dietary Exposure Assessment of Chinese Adults and Nursing Infants to Tetrabromobisphenol-A and Hexabromocyclododecanes: Occurrence Measurements in Foods and Human Milk

Abstract

Tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecane diastereoisomers (alpha, beta, and gamma-HBCD) were determined in 24 pooled human milk samples and 48 Chinese total diet study (TDS) samples collected in 2007. On the basis of ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis, levels of TBBPA ranged from < LOD to 5124 pg/g lipid weight (lw) in human milk and from < LOD to 2044 pg/g lw in TDS samples. The alpha-HBCD diastereoisomer, which ranged from < LOD to 2776 pg/g lw in human milk and from < LOD to 2224 pg/g lw in TDS samples, was generally the most abundant isomer comparing with beta- and gamma-HBCD. The average estimated daily intake (EDI) of TBBPA via human milk for nursing infants with a range 320-37240 pg/kg bodyweight (bw)/day was 5094 pg/kg bw/day, while that of sigmaHBCD was 5837 pg/kg bw/day with a range 670-17320 pg/kg bw/day. The medium bound (< LOD = 1/2LOD) EDI(TBBPA) for a "reference" man via animal origin foods was 256 pg/kg bw/day and EDI(sigmaHBCD) was 432 pg/kg bw/day. Meat and meat products were the main source in the total dietary intake of TBBPA and sigmaHBCD. Our research on the estimated daily intake of TBBPA and sigmaHBCD by the Chinese population indicated large variations in TBBPA and sigmaHBCD levels between provinces. Overall, our data indicate the Chinese EDI was lowerthan the EDI from similar studies in Europe.

Halogenated flame retardants in home-produced eggs from an electronic waste recycling region in South China: Levels, composition profiles, and human dietary exposure assessment

“…These levels were one to four orders magnitude lower than our values. Mean concentrations of α-HBCD in the present home-produced eggs (171, 343, 43.9, and 105 ng/g lipid weight in Sites 1, 2, and 3, and the reference site, respectively) were two to three orders of magnitude greater than those reported in market eggs from China (in average of 0.27 ng/g lipid weight) (Shi et al, 2009). DP, DBDPE, BTBPE, PTBX, PBT, PBEB, and HBB were frequently detected (>50% detection frequency) in the eggs from the e-waste recycling sites, with mean concentrations of 665-3290, 5.97-37.9, 37.2-264, 1.14-1.54, 0.93-1.46, 0.63-0.78, and 7.32-25.7 ng/g lipid weight, respectively ( Table 2).…”

“…Again, the average EDIs via eggs calculated in the current study were two orders of magnitude higher than the average values estimated in Belgian home-produced eggs (23-48 ng/day) (Covaci et al, 2009), market eggs from Belgium (23-48 ng/day) (Voorspoels et al, 2007), Spain (39-97 ng/day) (Bocio et al, 2003;Gómara et al, 2006), Sweden (51 ng/day) (Darnerud et al, 2006), and USA (66 ng/day) (Schecter et al, 2006). For HBCDs, the EDIs via present homeproduced eggs were two to three orders magnitude higher than those (1.0-80, with mean of 3.53 ng/day) calculated based on market eggs from several Provinces in China (Shi et al, 2009), and were one order of magnitude higher than the values (8.0-16.8 ng/day) reported via consumption of Belgian home-produced eggs (Covaci et al, 2009). These results suggested that HFRs in the home-produced eggs may be an important dietary exposure pathway for the local residents in the e-waste recycling sites.…”

“…The β-and γ-HBCDs were detected in 20% and 5% of the eggs, with contributions of 0.5% and 0.04%, respectively. The α-HBCD were also proved to be the predominant isomer in market eggs from China (Hu et al, 2011;Shi et al, 2009), home-produced eggs from Belgium (Covaci et al, 2009), and the yolks of market eggs, commercially free range eggs, and free-run eggs collected from Canada (Rawn et al, 2011). Additionally, we estimated the enantiomeric fractions (EFs) of α-HBCD, according to the method developed by Marvin et al (2007), in the present eggs.…”

Hexabromocyclododecane in consumer fish from South China: Implications for human exposure via dietary intake

“…The EDI values obtained in the present study were comparable to the data (10-1,000 pg/kg body wt/d and 4-370 pg/kg body wt/d, respectively, for the urban and rural residents of Chinese coastal cities via marine fish consumption) reported by Xia et al [19]. However, our results were about one to two orders of magnitude lower than those from Sweden (2,500 pg/kg body wt/d) [39], Japan (1,300-3,700 pg/kg body wt/d) [40], and the United Kingdom (5,900-7,900 pg/kg body wt/d) [41] and also were considerably lower than the results obtained in The Netherlands (120 pg/kg body wt/d) [42] and the Yangtze River Delta of China (181 pg/kg body wt/d) [15]. Currently, no criterion is available on human health risk resulting from exposure to HBCD.…”

“…Dietary intake, especially through fish consumption, is an important pathway of human exposure to HBCD [15]. However, only limited data are currently available for China on the occurrence of HBCD in consumer fish.…”