Body burdens and exposure from food for polybrominated diphenyl ethers ( BDEs ) in Canada

Samples of dusts were collected from Parliament buildings and an internet provider in a total of 8 countries during the year 2000. The levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A) and its derivative (me-TBBP-A) were determined. DecaBDE was predominant in all samples (260 – 6900 μg/kg dust) together with HBCD (<3 – 1400 μg/kg dust) in some samples. Introduction Brominated flame retardants are used in relatively high levels in electronic equipment, such as computers and television sets, in textiles, cars and in many other applications. PBDEs have been found in human tissues (blood and fat) and mother’s milk. The sources of human exposure are poorly characterised, although intake through food consumption is undoubtedly important. In indoor air of computerised offices and electronics recycling plants PBDEs have been reported, but the importance of the indoor environment in offices as a human uptake route of brominated flame retardants is less well known. The main aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of brominated flame retardants in office dusts and contribute to the understanding of the human exposure pathways for these compounds. Materials and methods Samples of dusts were provided to the Greenpeace research laboratories from Parliament buildings in a total of 8 countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,