BACKGROUND A previous study from our laboratory showed that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were metabolized to hydroxylated PBDEs (HO-PBDEs) in mice and that para-HO-PBDEs were the most abundant and, potentially, the most toxic metabolites. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine the concentrations of HO-PBDEs in blood from pregnant women, who had not been intentionally or o...

In order to better understand the size distribution of particle-associated PBDEs and their deposition pattern in the human respiratory tract, we carried out a 1-year campaign during 2012–2013 for the measurement of sizeresolved particles at the urban site of Shanghai. The results showed that particulate PBDEs exhibited a bimodal distribution with a mode peak in the accumulation particle size ra...

A number of studies have recently reported the bioaccumulation of the commonly used fire retardants, Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), in humans and wildlife. Exposure of animals to PBDEs has been shown to result in developmental neurological, reproductive abnormalities and the disruption of endocrine function. Thyroid hormone equilibria was also shown to be altered by PBDE exposure. Ther...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) behave as weak estrogens in animal and cell culture bioassays. In vivo metabolites of PBDEs are suspected to cause these effects. OBJECTIVES To identify candidate metabolites, mouse plasma samples were collected after continuous oral and subcutaneous exposure to DE-71, a widely used commercial pentabromodipheny...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and naturally-produced organobrominated compounds, such as methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs), have been scarcely studied in the Southern Hemisphere. Yet, sources of the latter group of compounds were found in Southern regions, specifically in Australia. The environmental distribution and biomagnification potential of organobrominated compounds were therefore ...

BACKGROUND An increasing number of studies are reporting the existence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated (HO) and methoxylated (MeO) metabolites in the environment and in tissues from wildlife and humans. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to characterize and compare the agonistic and antagonistic activities of principle PBDE congeners and their HO and MeO metabolites agains...

objective: to determine the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (pbdes) as persistent organic pollutants (pops) in serum of primiparous women at the third trimester of pregnancy and identify the main determinants of pops levels such as socio-demographic, lifestyle, and diet in tehran. materials and methods: one- hundred eighty five serum samples from two...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used flame retardants; currently, they are identified as ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Several studies indicate that PBDEs might affect male fertility. We present the results of a pilot study on the relationship between human serum PBDEs and sperm quality. The PBDE levels in Japan are comparable to those found in European countries. Str...

The objective of this study was to investigate the concentrations, seasonal variations, bioaccessibility, and associated human daily intake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in in- and out-house dust collected in Shanghai, China. The PBDE concentrations varied from 131.6 to 3,886.7 ng g(-1) (with an average of 948.2 ng g(-1)) in in-house dust and from 8.7 to 3,116.3 ng g(-1) (with an av...