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DAILY INTAKE ESTIMATES OF PBDES ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF CATFISH IN THE U.S.
Citation:
STASKAL, D., L. L. SCOTT, E. S. WILLIAMS, W. J. LUKSEMBURG, L. C. HAWS, L. S. BIRNBAUM, L. NGUYEN, D. J. PAUSTENBACH, AND M. A. HARRIS. DAILY INTAKE ESTIMATES OF PBDES ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF CATFISH IN THE U.S. Presented at Brominated Flame Retardants Workshop 2007, Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS, April 24 - 27, 2007.
Description:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in a wide variety of consumer products. Concerns surrounding these compounds are primarily due do their ubiquitous presence in the environment as well as in human tissue, such as milk, coupled with evidence indicating the potential for adverse effects. Despite these concerns, relatively few studies are available in the literature which characterize and quantify intake by humans. It has commonly been assumed that dietary intake is the primary exposure pathway, although recent analyses indicate that inhalation and dermal contact with dust contribute significantly to total body burdens as well. The few studies which have evaluated PBDEs in food from the U.S. suggest that fish contain higher levels of PBDEs than other sources in the diet (Huwe et al. 2005, Schecter et al. 2004, 2006). However, dietary consumption patterns vary by region, as do PBDE concentrations, and therefore the contribution of daily intake due to fish consumption also varies by region. In an effort to understand these relationships, we measured PBDE concentrations in Southern Mississippi catfish and determined the daily intake of these compounds from a primary food source for residents in this area of the United States. We also compared the daily intake of PBDEs from Southern Mississippi catfish to catfish from other regions as well as other food types in the United States.