Flame Retardant Exposure among Collegiate United States Gymnasts

Abstract

Gymnastics training facilities contain large volumes of polyurethane foam, a material that often contains additive flame retardants such as PentaBDE. While investigations of human exposure to flame retardants have focused on the general population, potentially higher than background exposures may occur in gymnasts and certain occupational groups. Our objectives were to compare PentaBDE body burden among gymnasts to the general U.S. population and characterize flame retardants levels in gym equipment, air and dust. We recruited 11 collegiate female gymnasts (ages 18–22) from one gym in the Eastern U.S. The geometric mean (GM) concentration of BDE-153 in gymnast sera (32.5 ng/g lipid) was 4–6.5 times higher than general U.S. population groups. Median concentrations of PentaBDE, TBB and TBPH in paired handwipe samples were 2–3 times higher after practice compared to before, indicating the gymnasts contacted these flame retardants during practice. GM concentrations of PentaBDE, TBB and TBPH were 1-3 orders of magnitude higher in gym air and dust than in residences. Our findings suggest that these collegiate gymnasts experienced higher exposures to PentaBDE flame retardants compared to the general U.S. population and that gymnasts may also have increased exposure to other additive flame retardants used in polyurethane foam such as TBB and TBPH.

Evaluation of occupational exposure to flame retardants at four gymnastics studios.

“…This is not surprising given the new foam contained both TBPH and TBB. These findings are similar to those of Carignan et al 2013, who noted that median PentaBDE, TBB, and TBPH levels in hand wipes were 2-3 times higher from gymnasts after practice than before. We found significant increases across the work shift during routine operations in levels of six of eight PentaBDE components before the foam was replaced and the gymnastics studio was cleaned and one of eight afterwards.…”

“…TBB and TBPH on hand wipes of 11 collegiate gymnasts were significantly higher after a practice than before [Carignan et al 2013]. These hand wipes were collected using the same materials with the same participant instructions as our samples.…”

“…The gymnastics studios' owner became concerned about exposure to flame retardants after reading a study that noted blood levels of PentaBDE flame retardants in collegiate gymnasts were higher than those in the general population [Carignan et al 2013]. Investigators in the study also reported that some classes of flame retardants were 2-3 times higher in hand wipes from gymnasts after practice than before.…”

Disposition of the Emerging Brominated Flame Retardant, 2-Ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-Tetrabromobenzoate, in Female SD Rats and Male B6C3F1 Mice: Effects of Dose, Route, and Repeated Administration

“…EH-TBB is not listed in the US EPA High Production Volume Information System, indicating its US production and import volumes are less than the threshold of "1 million pounds or more per year"; however, EH-TBB is subject to a USEPA significant new use rule (USEPA, 2015). EH-TBB has been detected in furniture foam, baby products (mattresses and high-chair foam), house dust, outdoor dust and sediment, and wildlife (Abdallah and Harrad, 2011;Ali et al, 2011Ali et al, , 2012Carignan et al, 2013, Davis et al, 2012Stapleton et al, 2014;Zhu et al, 2014). Samples of furniture foam have shown FM550 present in quantities up to 4.2% by weight (Stapleton et al, 2009).…”

“…Exposure to EH-TBB is essentially ubiquitous due to its use in polyurethane foams and subsequent presence in house dust (Al-Omran and Harrad, 2016;Cao et al, 2014;Carignan et al, 2013;Harrad et al, 2010;Qi et al, 2014;Stapleton et al, 2014). A majority of systemic exposure to EH-TBB is expected to result from ingestion of dust, with upper range estimates of 0.2-0.4 ng EH-TBB/g dust/kg body weight (Ali et al, 2012;Al-Omran and Harrad, 2016).…”