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

描述（由申请人提供）：该发展研究项目探讨了多溴联苯醚（PBDE）阻燃剂在室内灰尘中的浓度，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，多溴二苯醚血清浓度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，与成人相比，儿童体内的多溴二苯醚负荷量要高得多。在一项针对80名儿童的试点研究中，我们试图在一项更大规模的流行病学研究中确定调查多溴联苯醚接触途径、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，以测量血清和室内灰尘中多溴联苯醚同系物的范围。将从80名2 - 5岁儿童的队列中采集血清样本，这些儿童在全麻下接受耳管手术（鼓膜切开术）。将分析血清中的甲状腺标记物以及多溴联苯醚的特定同源物浓度。在一个由20名研究参与者组成的小组中，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。该研究的目的是：（a）建立测量人体血清和室内灰尘中多溴二苯醚同系物浓度的实验室能力（B）确定80名2至5岁儿童的血清中多溴二苯醚浓度分布特征，（c）探索幼儿血清中多溴二苯醚浓度与甲状腺激素之间的关系，以及（d）探讨室内灰尘中的多溴二苯醚浓度与幼儿血清中多溴二苯醚浓度之间的相关性，以评估灰尘是否是接触多溴二苯醚的主要途径。分析化学家、流行病学家、接触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的环境来源、人体负担以及对脆弱和研究不足的年龄组内分泌系统的影响。研究结果将有助于我们了解溴化阻燃剂在幼儿期的身体负担、内分泌影响和暴露途径，并将有助于指导未来针对多溴联苯醚早期暴露和内分泌干扰的研究方向。 公共卫生相关性：多溴联苯醚（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程度远远高于成年人，但人们对幼儿的身体负担、接触途径和多溴二苯醚对健康的影响知之甚少。这些问题进行了调查，在一个试点队列的80名儿童年龄2至5岁。

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.