PBDE Body Burdens, House Dust Concentrations and Associations with Thyroid Hormon

描述(申请人提供)：这项发展研究项目探索房屋灰尘中多溴二苯醚(PBDE)阻燃剂浓度、PBDE身体负担和儿童早期循环甲状腺激素水平之间的关系。这项研究的动机是最近的流行病学证据表明，多溴联苯醚血清水平与成人甲状腺功能紊乱之间存在关联，以及有限但令人信服的报告表明，儿童的多溴联苯醚身体负担明显高于成年人。在一项对80名儿童进行的初步研究中，我们试图在一项更大的流行病学研究中建立调查多溴二苯醚暴露途径、血清浓度和甲状腺功能之间关系的可行性，同时建立内部实验室能力，以测量血清和房屋粉尘中多溴二苯醚同系物的范围。血清样本将从80名2至5岁的儿童队列中获得，这些儿童在全麻下接受耳管手术(鼓膜切开术)。将分析血清中一组扩大的甲状腺标志物以及同种特定浓度的多溴二苯醚。在20名研究参与者的子组中，将从家庭的主要活动室收集房屋灰尘，并分析多溴二苯醚的浓度。这项研究的目的是：(A)建立实验室能力，以测量人类血清和屋尘中同种特定的多溴二苯醚浓度；(B)确定80名2至5岁儿童中多溴二苯醚血清浓度的分布；(C)探索幼儿血清中多溴二苯醚水平与甲状腺激素水平之间的关系；以及(D)探讨室内灰尘中多溴二苯醚浓度与幼儿多溴二苯醚血清水平之间的相关性，以评估粉尘暴露的主要途径。分析化学家、流行病学家、暴露科学家和儿科内分泌学家之间的合作将有助于调查多溴二苯醚，从环境来源到人体负担，再到对脆弱和未被研究的年龄组的内分泌系统的影响。研究结果将有助于我们了解儿童早期溴化阻燃剂的身体负担、内分泌影响和暴露途径，并将有助于指导未来针对早期接触多溴二苯醚和内分泌干扰的研究工作的方向。 与公共健康相关：多溴二苯醚(PBDEs)是添加到各种消费品中的阻燃化合物。尽管有迹象表明，儿童接触这些化合物的几率比成年人高得多，但人们对幼儿体内多溴二苯醚的身体负担、暴露途径和健康影响知之甚少。这些问题在80名2至5岁儿童的试点队列中进行了调查。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This developmental research project explores relationships among polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardant concentrations in house dust, PBDE body burdens, and circulating thyroid hormone levels in early childhood. The study is motivated by recent epidemiologic evidence of an association between PBDE serum levels and thyroid disruption in adults, and limited but compelling reports of substantially higher PBDE body burdens in children compared to adults. In a pilot study of 80 children, we seek to establish the feasibility of investigating relationships between PBDE exposure routes, serum concentrations and thyroid function in a larger epidemiologic study, while building the in-house laboratory capacity to measure the range of PBDE congeners in serum and house dust. Serum samples will be obtained from a cohort of 80 children between 2 and 5 years of age who are under general anesthesia for ear tube surgery (myringotomy). Serum will be analyzed for an expanded panel of thyroid markers as well as congener-specific concentrations of PBDEs. In a subset of 20 study participants, house dust will be collected from the main activity room of the home and analyzed for PBDE concentrations. The study aims are to (a) build laboratory capacity to measure congener- specific PBDE concentrations in human serum and house dust (b) characterize the distribution of serum concentrations of PBDEs in a cohort of 80 children between 2 and 5 years, (c) explore associations between serum levels of PBDEs and thyroid hormones in young children, and (d) explore correlations between PBDEs concentrations in house dust and PBDE serum levels in young children to assess dust as a major route of exposure. Collaboration between analytical chemists, epidemiologists, exposure scientists, and pediatric endocrinologists will facilitate investigation of PBDEs from sources in the environment to human body burdens to effects on the endocrine system in a vulnerable and understudied age group. Study findings will contribute to our understanding of the body burden, endocrine effects and exposure routes of brominated flame retardants in early childhood, and will help guide the direction of future research efforts targeting early-life exposures to PBDEs and endocrine disruption. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardant compounds added to a wide range of consumer products. Despite indications that children have substantially higher exposures to these compounds than adults, little is known about body burdens, exposure pathways and health effects of PBDEs in young children. These questions are investigated in a pilot cohort of 80 children ages 2 to 5 years.