Analysis of brominated flame retardants in the aquatic environment: a review

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Human Milk of Croatian First-Time Mothers: 2010 Versus 2020

The presence of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, and -183) was investigated in human milk samples collected from first-time mothers living in Zagreb, capital of Croatia. Samples from 2020 and 2010 were analyzed, and the first temporal comparison between the profiles and levels of these compounds in this area was obtained. A statistically significant difference between mass fractions depending on the sampling year was observed only for BDE-99, with values in 2020 higher than in 2010. BDE-153, whose median value (0.25 and 0.26 ng g-1 lipid weight (l.w.) in 2010 and 2020, respectively) did not decrease in the 10-year period, was the most frequently detected congener in samples from both years. ΣPBDEs ranged from < LOD to 3.53 ng g-1 l.w. (median 0.25 ng g-1 l.w.), and from 0.14 to 6.75 ng g-1 l.w. (median 0.55 ng g-1 l.w.) in 2010 and 2020, respectively. Maternal age and reported fish consumption had no effect on observed PBDE mass fractions, while for BDE-153, positive significant correlation (p > 0.05) was observed of its detected mass fraction with mother's body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy and after childbirth. Infants median estimated daily intake (EDI) via milk ingestion for ΣPBDE was higher in 2020 (3.221 ng kg-1 bw day-1) compared to 2010 (1.429 ng kg-1 bw day-1), but both values were well below threshold value, indicating that human milk consumption in this specific case is unlikely to raise health risks to infants.

An exposure to endocrine active persistent pollutants and endometriosis - a review of current epidemiological studies

Widespread exposure to persistent pollutants can disrupt the bodies' natural endocrine functions and contribute to reproductive diseases like endometriosis. In this review, we focus at the relationship between endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including metals and trace elements, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxin (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and risk of endometriosis. Relevant studies from the last 10 years by November 2022 were identified by searching Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The cohort and case-control studies that reported effect size with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of EDC exposure and endometriosis were selected. Twenty three articles examining the relationship between endometriosis and exposure to persistent EDCs were considered. Most of the studies indicated association with exposure to persistent chemicals and development of endometriosis. The consistent results were found in case of lead, PCB-28, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-180, PCB-201, 1,2,3,7,8 - PeCDD, 2,3,4,7,8 - PeCDF and all described OCPs, showing the increased risk of endometriosis. These results support that exposure to certain EDCs, including OCPs, PCBs, PBBs, PBDEs, PFAS, and lead increase the risk of endometriosis.