Diet and indoor environments as predictors of human body burden of PBDE

自20世纪70年代以来，要求在软家具和电子产品中添加阻燃剂的立法挽救了许多生命。包括多溴联苯醚（PBDEs）在内的溴化阻燃剂（BFRs）目前在环境和生物积累中普遍存在。《斯德哥尔摩公约》（2004年）要求签署国减少或消除无意和有意产生的持久性有机污染物的排放，以保护人类健康和环境。新兴的持久性有机污染物，如多溴二苯醚，可能很快就会被列入“十二种污染物质”。人们对多溴二苯醚的大小和暴露途径知之甚少。它们在制造、回收和焚烧过程中释放出来，从处理过的材料中渗出到大气中，并通过皮肤接触被吸收。在过去的30年里，多溴二苯醚的人体负担每5年翻一番。多溴二苯醚具有亲脂性，可在人体脂肪组织中积累。从母亲传染给孩子发生在母乳喂养期间。众所周知，幼儿在地毯上花费时间并表现出频繁的手对嘴行为会增加身体负担。另一种接触持久性有机污染物的途径是通过富含油脂的鱼类、肉类和奶制品等食物。多溴二苯醚暴露和身体负担对人类健康的潜在影响是生殖毒性、神经毒性、免疫效应和致癌性。包含所有潜在来源、途径和受体的风险评估可以表示为概念暴露模型（CEM）。本研究的假设是：1。灰尘和空气中的多溴二苯醚浓度可以从房间或车辆内容物（例如，计算机/地毯的数量/年龄）预测；2. 饮食、室内环境和行为等CEMs可用于预测多溴二苯醚的身体负担；3. 室内多溴二苯醚暴露是总体暴露的一个重要因素；（对于遗留的持久性有机污染物，饮食是主要来源）；4. 多溴二苯醚在血液和母乳等隔间之间的分布是由它们的物理化学性质决定的。该计划将进一步了解多溴二苯醚的降解和代谢以及环境和人类样本中多溴二苯醚的相关来源。在研究过程中，将开发数学模型来预测各种情景下的未来暴露。最终的研究结果将是基于证据的暴露管理策略和风险评估。2年以上未搬家或未换工作的同居夫妇将被招募。利用这样的夫妇可以对共同的饮食和室内环境进行抽样和分析，并确定电脑游戏或工作暴露等行为造成的差异。将通过血液样本评估身体负担。将对饮食、室内空气和灰尘样本进行评估，并使用全面的问卷和调查来创建CEMs。将通过对房间或车辆内容物的全面调查来预测粉尘和空气中的多溴二苯醚浓度。大约一半的培训和所有的实地工作将在纽卡斯尔大学的健康与社会研究所进行。伯明翰大学环境健康和风险管理系将提供室内空气环境监测和采样方面的培训，以及阻燃剂研究方面的专门知识。中央科学实验室的食品科学小组将提供饮食研究和暴露评估方法以及分析化学技术方面的技术培训。这些研究中心都处于各自领域的前沿，它们的合作是由于需要对持久性有机污染物的调查和建模采取整体方法。通过这个能力建设项目，学生将在多学科研究和合作方面获得宝贵的经验，同时开拓一种新的方法来研究BFR暴露特征。与NERC持久性有机污染物网络的联系为传播结果和进一步的研究机会提供了肥沃的土壤。

Legislation requiring flame retardants to be added to soft furniture and electronic items since the 1970s has saved many lives. Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) including Poly Brominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are now ubiquitous in the environment and bio-accumulate. The Stockholm Convention (2004) requires signatories to reduce or eliminate releases of unintentionally and intentionally produced Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to protect human health and the environment. Emerging POPs such as PBDEs may soon be included in the 'dirty dozen'. Little is known about the magnitude and exposure pathways of PBDEs. They are released during manufacture, recycling and incineration processes, can leach from treated materials into the atmosphere and can be absorbed by dermal contact. The human body burden of PBDE has doubled every five years for the past 30 years. PBDEs are lipophilic, accumulating in human fatty tissue. Transfer from mother to child occurs during breast feeding. Young children spending time on carpets and exhibiting frequent hand to mouth behaviour are known to have increased body burden. Another route of exposure to POPs is via food such as oily fish, meat and dairy. The potential human health effects of PBDE exposure and body burden are reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, immune effects and carcinogenicity. A risk assessment incorporating all potential sources, pathways and receptors can be expressed as a Conceptual Exposure Model (CEM). The hypotheses of this research are: 1. PBDE concentrations in dust and air can be predicted from room or vehicle contents (e.g. number/age of computers/carpeting); 2. CEMs including diet, indoor environments and behaviours can be used to predict body burdens of PBDE; 3. Indoor exposures to PBDE are an important contributor to overall exposure; (for legacy POPs diet is the major source); 4. The distribution of PBDEs between compartments such as blood and breast milk is determined by their physico-chemical properties. The programme will further the understanding of degradation and metabolism of PBDEs and correlate sources of PBDE in environmental and human samples. During the research process mathematical models will be developed to predict future exposures under a variety of scenarios. The final research outcomes will be evidence based exposure management strategies and risk assessments. Co-habiting couples who have not moved house or changed employment for at least 2 years will be recruited. Using such couples will allow sampling and analysis of shared diet and indoor environments and identification of differences resulting from behaviours such as computer gaming or work exposures. Body burden will be assessed from blood samples. Diet, indoor air and dust samples will be assessed and comprehensive questionnaires and surveys will be used to create the CEMs. PBDE concentrations in dust and air will be predicted using comprehensive surveys of room or vehicle contents. Approximately half the training and all fieldwork will be based Newcastle University's Institute of Health and Society. Birmingham University's Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management will provide training in monitoring and sampling of indoor air environments as well as expertise in flame retardants research. The Food Science Group at Central Science Laboratory will provide technical training in diet studies and exposure assessment methodology as well as analytical chemistry techniques. The collaboration of these research centres, each at the forefront of their field, is driven by the need for an holistic approach to POPs investigation and modelling. Through this capacity building programme the student will gain valuable experience in multidisciplinary research and collaboration whilst pioneering a new approach to BFR exposure characterisation. The association with the NERC POPs Network provides fertile ground for dissemination of results and further research opportunities.