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Brominated Flame Retardants and Perfluorinated Chemicals
Citation:
KODAVANTI, PRASADA RAO S. AND B. Loganathan. Brominated Flame Retardants and Perfluorinated Chemicals. 2nd, Chapter 64, Ramesh Gupta (ed.), Veterinary Toxicology: Basic and Clinical Principles. ELSEVIER, AMSTERDAM, Holland, 1:810-824, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
In recent years, there is mounting evidences that bromine and fluorine containing organohalogens are emerging as new pollutants that pose concern on the global scale for present and future adverse health effects in animals and humans (reviewed in Shaw and Kannan, 2009;Shaw et al.,2010)
Description:
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) belong to a large class of chemicals known as organohalogens. It is believed that both BFRs and PFCs saved lives by reducing flammability of materials commonly used and bactericidal (biocidal) properties. These compounds also believed to contribute greatly to improve quality of our lives as these chemicals are indispensable in manufacturing variety of industrial and consumer products. Widespread use of these chemicals led to environmental contamination on the global scale. These chemicals are also referred to as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), as their unique properties such as hydrophobicity and lipophilicity lead to their accumulation in biological tissues. Additionally, low biodegradability and volatility has led to their long-range transportation via atmospheric and ocean currents, resulting in widespread environmental contamination of animals and humans at sites remote from where these chemicals are produced and used. Exposure to BFRs and/or PFCs may result in serious health effects including endocrine disruption, reproductive and immune dysfunction, birth defects, developmental neurotoxicity, and certain types of cancers. Exposure to BFRs and PFCs in farm animals is of great concern, since these compounds can affect their health as well as serve as source for human exposure via consumption of contaminated meat and/or dairy products. This chapter deals with BFRs and PFCs, their physico-chemical properties, exposure, pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, and effects are discussed with emphasis on domestic and pet