Brominated flame retardants--safety at what cost?

A population-based study of human immunodefi ciency virus in south India reveals major diff erences from sentinel surveillance-based estimates. Study Group. Declining HIV infection rates among recently married primigravid women in Pune, India. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of brominated compounds (209 congeners) that are typically used as fl ame retardants in the manufacture of furniture, textiles, and electronic equipment. PBDEs have been used since the 1970s. However, because of increasing evidence of potential health risks associated with exposure to PBDEs, European and US regulatory authorities have taken steps to reduce exposure in human beings by the exclusion of penta-brominated and octa-brominated fl ame retardants from these markets. Additionally, the deca-brominated mixture has been targeted for phasing out from 2008. Although restricted use and replacement of PBDEs will minimise their release into the environment, a substantial problem still remains because of the large amount of existing consumer products in homes and workplaces to which people might be exposed. Human exposure to PBDEs is refl ected by the large increase in the concentration of such chemicals in breast milk. PBDEs in breast milk of North American women increased from less than 1 µg/L to 200 µg/L over a 25-year period, 1 and the concentration of PBDEs in the breast milk of Swedish women increased by 60 times between 1972 and 1997. 2 The bioaccumulative nature of PBDEs and the increasing concentrations of these compounds in human samples mirror previous reports for poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT before their bans. However, by contrast with exposure to PCBs and DDT, which show higher tissue concentrations with increasing age, PBDE concentrations in infants are greater than in adults. 3,4 Wu and co-workers 5 investigated the body burdens of fi rst-time mothers to determine key routes of exposure to PBDEs. Breast milk and household dust were analysed for PBDE congeners and information about dietary habits was collected by questionnaire. Although statistically signifi cant associations were seen between PBDEs in breast milk and consumption of dairy fat and meat, the inaccuracy of dietary information, because of questionnaire constraints, resulted in a large portion of the current model remaining unexplained. A more intricate model is needed to explain the relation between dietary exposure and PBDEs in breast milk. Another limitation was the absence of data on the concentration