To reveal what degree bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) depends on exposure time and other factors, we conducted a semi-field experiment for a year (June 2008-June 2009) in a village in an e-waste recycling site in Taizhou, China. Approximately one hundred of juvenile ducks (Anas domestica Linnaeus) were entrusted to a villager. The ducks lived and forged in a PBDE-pollu...

The present study analyzed road soils collected near the dismantling workshops of an e-waste recycling region in South China to determine the PBDE profiles. Farmland soils at a distance of about 2 km from the dismantling workshops were also collected to evaluate the potential dispersion and deposition of PBDEs in the surrounding environment. Total PBDE concentrations ranged from 191 to 9156 ng/...

Co-incident with the introduction of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) into household materials nearly 30 years ago, feline hyperthyroidism (FH) has increased dramatically. Risk of developing FH is associated with indoor living and consumption of canned catfood. We hypothesized that increases in FH were, in part, related to increased PBDE exposure, with key routes of exposure being diet an...

BACKGROUND The European Food Safety Authority recently concluded that the exposure of small children (1-3 y old) to brominated diphenyl ether (BDE)-99 may exceed acceptable levels defined in relation to neurodevelopmental toxicity in rodents. The flame retardant BDE-209 may release BDE-99 and other lower brominated BDEs through biotic and abiotic degradation, and all age groups are exposed not ...

Some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been found in human semen but until this point it was unclear whether polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) could be detected in human semen. In this study, PBDEs were found for the first time in human semen samples (n=101) from Taizhou, China. The concentrations of total PBDEs (∑PBDEs) varied from 15.8 to 86.8 pg/g ww (median=31.3 pg/g ww) and 53...

In the present work, we analyzed whether polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (47, 99, 100 and 209) interfere with the effect of 17β-estradiol on the proliferation and apoptosis of the MCF-7 cell line. MCF-7 cells were cultured in DMEM without phenol red; upplemented with 5% charcoal-treated fetal bovine serum for 3 days with 10 nM 17β-estradiol; with 0.1 μM, 0.5 μM or 1 μM of the tested PBDE...

Gas samples and total suspended particle during work and off work time were investigated on-site and off-site electronic waste dismantling workshop (I- and O-EWDW), then compared with plastic recycling workshop (PRW) and waste incineration plant (WIP). TSP concentrations and total PBDE were 0.36-2.21 mg/m(3) and 27-2975 ng/m(3) at different workshops, respectively. BDE-47, -99, and -209 were ma...

The present study provides information on the time trend of PBDEs in three sediment cores from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China, using 210Pb dating technique. The sigmaPBDEs (except for BDE 209) concentrations in all sediment cores increased gradually from the bottom (mid-1970s) to the middle layer (later 1980s and early 1990s) followed by different temporal trends in different locati...

BACKGROUND Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as flame retardants in consumer products and are ubiquitous in residential indoor air and dust. However, little is known about exposure in the office environment. OBJECTIVES We examined relationships between PBDE concentrations in the office environment and internal exposure using concurrent measurements of PBDEs in serum...

This study was designed to determine the body burden of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) among first-time mothers in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts area and to explore key routes of exposure. We collected breast milk samples from 46 first-time mothers, 2-8 weeks after birth. We also sampled house dust from the homes of a subset of participants by vacuuming commonly used areas. Data on ...