Polybromininated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as flame-retardant additives. Previous studies have demonstrated that PBDEs exposure can lead to neurotoxicity. However, little is known about the effects of PBDE 209 on synaptic plasticity. This study investigated the effect of decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE 209), a major PBDEs product, on synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus of...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are used in high amounts as flame retardants in plastic materials and textiles. Due to their persistence, their accumulation in the food chain and their toxic properties they have been integrated in the human biomonitoring program of the Baden-Württemberg State Health Office since 2002. In repeated cross-sectional studies in winter 2002/03 (n=162), 2004/05 ...

OBJECTIVES Our aim was to report the first known incidence of U.S. butter contamination with extremely high levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). METHODS Ten butter samples were individually analyzed for PBDEs. One of the samples and its paper wrapper contained very high levels of higher-brominated PBDEs. Dietary estimates were calculated using the 2007 U.S. Department of Agricult...

The present study investigated contamination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediment and fish samples collected from rivers in Guiyu, China where electronic waste (e-waste) is recycled and disposed. PBDE congeners with mono-to hepta-brominated and deca-brominated substitutions were detected using (13)C(12) isotope dilution GC/MS/MS and GC/MS methods, respectively. The total PBDE c...

The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of flame retardants that are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs), around the Zhuoshui River and Changhua County regions of Taiwan was assessed. An investigation into emissions, partitioning, and fate of selected PBDEs was conducted based on the equilibrium constant (EQC) fugacity model developed at Trent...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of flame retardants that have been widely used in consumer products, but that are problematic because of their environmental persistence and endocrine-disrupting properties. To date, very little is known about PBDE degradation by aerobic microorganisms and the enzymes involved in PBDE transformation. Resting cells of the polychlorinated bipheny...

In utero exposure to a single low dose of 2,2 ,4,4 ,5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-99) disrupts neurobehavioral development and causes permanent effects on the rat male reproductive system apparent in adulthood. PBDEs, a class of flame retardants, are widely used in every sector of modern life to prevent fire. They are persistent in the environment, and increasing levels of PBDEs have been fo...

The wild mink has gained acceptance as a sentinel species in environmental monitoring. However, only limited data are available in the literature on factors driving variability in concentrations of organic pollutants in this species. This study characterizes the differences in contaminant concentrations in subcutaneous fat of male mink from four different areas in Sweden and demonstrates how ag...

BACKGROUND Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used flame retardant compounds that are persistent and bioaccumulative and therefore have become ubiquitous environment contaminants. Animal studies suggest that prenatal PBDE exposure may result in adverse neurodevelopmental effects. OBJECTIVE In a longitudinal cohort initiated after 11 September 2001, including 329 mothers who del...

To evaluate the status of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) contamination in poultry and sequentially human exposure through consumption of poultry in an e-waste recycling site in South China, two kinds of free-range domestic birds, chicken and duck, were collected and their muscle and liver tissues were analyzed for 16 PBDE congeners. Chicken shows higher PBDE concentrations (summation of...