Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Brazilian food of animal origin and estimation of human dietary exposure

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Current Use Pesticides (CUPs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible marine invertebrates from a Patagonian harbor

Despite their global ban in 2001, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remain detectable in marine species, posing ongoing environmental and health risks. Current use pesticides (CUPs) like chlorpyrifos and chlorothalonil, along with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also contaminate coastal areas, affecting human health. This study assessed POPs, CUPs and PAHs in bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes, crustaceans, and echinoderms from an Atlantic Patagonian harbor. Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) ranged from Collapse

Key Words

• Atlantic Patagonia
• Coastal environment
• Marine invertebrates
• Organic pollutants
• Risk assessment

Collapse

MESH Headings Collapse

Grants Collapse

Affiliation(s)

M A Primost Universidad Tecnológica Nacional Facultad Regional Chubut, (UTN-FRCH), Grupo de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Acuicultura y Pesca (GIDTAP), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
M A Chierichetti Grupo Ecotoxicología y Contaminación Ambiental, IIMyC, CONICET-UNMDP, Mar del Plata, Argentina
C Castaños Universidad Tecnológica Nacional Facultad Regional Chubut, (UTN-FRCH), Grupo de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Acuicultura y Pesca (GIDTAP), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
G Bigatti Laboratorio de Reproducción y Biología Integrativa de Invertebrados Marinos (LARBIM), Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR) (CCT-CONICET CENPAT), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina; Universidad Espíritu Santo, Ecuador
K S B Miglioranza Grupo Ecotoxicología y Contaminación Ambiental, IIMyC, CONICET-UNMDP, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Collapse

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and gestational weight gain: a multi-center prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the associations of plasma polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations in early pregnancy with gestational weight gain (GWG).

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

US-based, multicentre cohort of pregnant women.

POPULATION

We used data from 2052 women without obesity and 397 women with obesity participating in the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies - Singleton Cohort, with first-trimester plasma PBDE concentrations and weight measurements throughout pregnancy.

METHODS

We applied generalised linear models and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to evaluate both the individual and joint associations of PBDEs with measures of GWG, adjusting for potential confounders.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Total GWG (kg), total and trimester-specific GWG velocities (kg/week), and GWG categories and trajectory groups.

RESULTS

Mean pre-pregnancy BMIs were 23.6 and 34.5 kg/m2 for women without and with obesity, respectively. Among women without obesity, there were no associations of PBDEs with any GWG measure. Among women with obesity, one standard deviation increase in log-transformed PBDE 47 was associated with a 1.87 kg higher total GWG (95% CI 0.39-3.35) and a 0.05 kg/week higher total GWG velocity (95% CI 0.01-0.09). Similar associations were found for PBDE 47 in BKMR among women with obesity, and PBDE 47, 99 and 100 were associated with lower odds of being in the low GWG trajectory group.

CONCLUSIONS

PBDEs were not associated with GWG among individuals without obesity. Among those with obesity, only PBDE 47 showed consistent positive associations with GWG measures across multiple statistical methods. Further research is needed to validate this association and explore potential mechanisms.

Emerging contaminants and their potential impacts on estuarine ecosystems: Are we aware of it?

Emerging contaminants (ECs) are becoming more prevalent in estuaries and constitute a danger to both human health and ecosystems. These pollutants can infiltrate the ecosystem and spread throughout the food chain. Because of the diversified sources and extensive human activities, estuaries are particularly susceptible to increased pollution levels. A thorough review on recent ECs (platinum group elements, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides, siloxanes, liquid crystal monomers, cationic surfactant, antibiotic resistance genes, and microplastics) in estuaries, including their incidence, detection levels, and toxic effects, was performed. The inclusion of studies from different regions highlights the global nature of this issue, with each location having its unique set of contaminants. The diverse range of contaminants detected in estuary samples worldwide underscores the intricacy of ECs. A significant drawback is the scarcity of research on the toxic mechanisms of ECs on estuarine organisms, the prospect of unidentified ECs, warrant research scopes.

Levels of organic pollutants and metals/metalloids in infant formula marketed in Brazil: Risks to early-life health

Infant formula intake is recommended to ensure comprehensive nutritional and caloric fulfillment when exclusive breastfeeding is not possible. However, similarly to breast milk, infant formulas may also contain pollutants capable of inducing endocrine-disrupting and neurotoxic effects. Thus, considering the sensitivity of their developing physiological systems and that infants have heightened susceptibility to environmental influences, this study was aimed at assessing the contents of essential elements, and inorganic and organic pollutants in infant formulas marketed in Brazil. Additionally, health risk assessments for selected contaminants were also performed. Measured contents of essential elements (Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Cu, Se, and Zn) were congruent with label information. Nevertheless, some toxic elements (Pb, Cd, As, Ni, and Al) were also detected. Notably, in the upper-bound scenario, Pb and Cd surpassed established threshold values when comparing the estimated daily intake (EDI) and tolerable daily intake (TDI - 3.57 and 0.36 μg/kg bw, respectively). Bisphenol P (BPP) and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) were frequently detected (84 % detection rate both) with elevated contents (BPP median = 4.28 ng/g and BBP median = 0.24 ng/g). Furthermore, a positive correlation (0.41) was observed between BPP and BBP, implying a potential co-occurrence within packaging materials. Methyl-paraben also correlated positively with BBP (0.57), showing a detection rate of 53 %. The cumulative PBDE contents ranged from 0.33 to 1.62 ng/g, with BDE-154 and BDE-47 the dominant congeners. When comparing EDI values with TDIs, all organic pollutants remained below the thresholds across all exposure scenarios. Moreover, non-carcinogenic risks were below the threshold (HQ > 1) when dividing the EDIs by the respective reference doses for chronic exposure. While the current findings may suggest that infant formula intake poses no immediate risk in terms of the evaluated chemicals, it remains imperative to conduct further research to safeguard the health of infants considering other chemicals, as well as their potential cumulative effects.

Recent trends in pesticides in crops: A critical review of the duality of risks-benefits and the Brazilian legislation issue

Due to the increasing population worldwide, in recent years, an exponential increase in agricultural practices has occurred in order to attend to the growing demand for food. Unfortunately, this increase is not associated with the supply of foodstuffs free of environmental pollutants. In Brazil, agriculture is one of the most important economic pillars, making the country one of the largest consumers of pesticides around the world. The intense use of pesticides, mainly glyphosate, 2,4-D, and atrazine, constitutes an essential factor in the viability of this great agricultural productivity. Sugarcane, corn, soybean, and citrus crops consume around 66% of the total pesticides worldwide, representing 76% of the planted area. Pesticide residues have been frequently detected in food and the environment, becoming a significant concern for human health. Monitoring programs for pesticide use are essential to reduce the potential negative impacts on the environment and improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of their use. However, in Brazil, the approval status of pesticide-active ingredients is very discrepant compared to other agricultural countries. Moreover, the duality of benefits and risks of pesticide application creates an economic and toxicological conflict. In this paper, we have critically reviewed the duality of risks-benefits of the use of pesticides in agriculture and the current Brazilian legislation issues. We have also compared this flawed legislation with other countries with high economic potential. Due to the negative environmental impacts on soil and water by the high levels of pesticides, remediation techniques, sustainable agriculture, and the development of new technologies can be considered some viable alternatives to reduce the levels in these compartments. Besides, this paper includes some recommendations that can be included in the coming years.

Dietary Exposure and Health Risk of the Emerging Contaminant Fluorinated Liquid-Crystal Monomers

Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers (FLCMs) widely used in liquid crystal displays are considered to be a new generation of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic contaminants. They have been widely detected in the environment. However, little is known about their occurrence in food and human dietary exposure until now. Herein, we provided an evaluation of dietary exposure and health risks of FLCMs in the Chinese adult population based on the fifth and sixth total diet studies (TDSs). The detection frequencies of FLCMs in the two surveys were 90.5 and 99.5%, with concentrations ranging from not detected ∼72.6 μg/kg wet weight (ww) and ND ∼74.7 μg/kg ww, respectively. All TDS samples contained the multiresidue of FLCMs. The mean estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of FLCMs were 172.86 and 163.10 ng/kg bw/day in the fifth and sixth TDS, respectively. Meats, vegetables, and cereals contributed the most to the EDI of FLCMs. According to the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) method, the EDIs of 1-fluoro-4-[2-(4-propylphenyl)ethynyl]benzene (4.56 and 3.26 ng/kg bw/day) and 2-fluoro-4-[4'-propyl-1,1'-bi(cyclohexyl)-4-yl]phenyl trifluoromethyl ether (3.12 and 3.28 ng/kg bw/day) were above their TTC value (2.5 ng/kg bw/day), suggesting their potential health risk. This is the first comprehensive national dietary exposure assessment of FLCMs.

Association of pre-pregnancy maternal overweight/obesity and dietary intake during pregnancy with the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in the human milk of women from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemical compounds that can bioaccumulate, adhere to lipid matrices, and affect human health. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and dietary intake during pregnancy and POP concentrations in the human milk of women from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One hundred and forty-seven women were followed from the third trimester of pregnancy until 119 days postpartum, and 77 human milk samples were analyzed between 2 and 119 days postpartum. POP concentrations were analyzed using gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Pregnancy dietary intake was estimated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and pre-pregnancy body mass index at baseline was classified as normal or overweight/obesity. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were performed to investigate the association between pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity, dietary intake during pregnancy, and POP concentrations in human milk. The models were adjusted for maternal age, maternal schooling, total cholesterol serum concentrations, and time postpartum. The analyses were corrected for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg test. Significant associations were observed between pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (ppDDE), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)74, PCB138, PCB153, PCB170, PCB180, total PCBs, total 4PCBs, total 2 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and total POP concentrations. Higher daily lipid intake during pregnancy increased human milk hexachlorobenzene (HCB). This study showed that pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and total lipid intake during pregnancy were associated with POP concentrations in the milk of women from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To promote adequate nutritional status since preconception and surveillance and control of POP in the environment could be essential to ensure binomial mother-infant health and biomonitoring studies and programs for these POPs should be stimulated.

Prenatal exposure to phthalates and polybrominated diphenyl ethers on neonatal health: A birth cohort study in Guangxi, China

Few epidemiological studies have focused on prenatal phthalates (PAEs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) exposure to neonatal health in China. This study aimed to assess the associations between prenatal PAEs and PBDEs exposure and neonatal health in Guangxi, a Zhuang autonomous region of China. Concentrations of 4 PAEs metabolites (mPAEs) and 5 PBDEs congeners were measured in the serum of 267 healthy pregnant women. Birth outcomes and clinical data of neonates were collected after delivery. Mono-(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) (81.52%) and BDE47 (35.21%) were the mPAEs and PBDEs congeners with the highest detection rate in serum. Prenatal exposures to mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), MEHP, and ΣmPAEs were negatively associated with birth weight (BW), birth length (BL), and gestational age (GA). Higher exposures to MBP, MEHP, and ΣmPAEs were associated with an increased odds ratio (OR) for low birth weight (LBW), but exposure to BDE28 exhibited the opposite effect. Moreover, higher exposures to MBP, MEHP, ΣmPAEs, BDE99, and ΣPBDEswere associated with an increased OR for premature birth (PTB) (P < 0.05). In contrast to MBP exposure, BDE28 exposure was associated with a higher OR for neonatal jaundice (NNJ) (P < 0.05). The interaction analysis showed a positive interaction between monoethyl phthalate (MEP) and BDE28 on the risk of NNJ and positive interaction between ΣmPAEs and BDE47 on the risk of NNJ. In addition, there are ethnicity-specific associations of prenatal PBDEs exposure with neonatal health in individuals of Zhuang and Han nationalities, and boy neonates were more sensitive to prenatal PBDEs exposure than girl neonates. The results revealed that prenatal exposure to mPAEs and PBDEs might have adverse effects on neonatal development, and the effects might be ethnicity- and sex-specific.

Toxicokinetics and edible tissues-specific bioaccumulation of decabrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE-209) after exposure to the broilers

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), the primary constituent of a widely used flame retardant formulation, is often present in high levels in avian derived products and could be transferred to humans through consumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate the toxicokinetics and bioaccumulation patterns of BDE-209 in different tissues of broilers, which would benefit the evaluation of chicken product safety. Male broilers received a single oral administration of BDE-209 at 25 mg/kg.BW and then BDE-209 concentrations in the plasma, liver, leg muscle, breast muscle, and other tissues were measured using gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). The changes of BDE-209 concentrations in the plasma were fitted to a non-compartmental model for kinetic analysis. Peak values were observed at 24 h (t_1/2 =168.28 h), and trace levels remained for four weeks. Additionally, C_max in the liver was much higher than that in leg and breast muscles, and T_max from the liver and muscle were 12 and 24 h, respectively. Residual BDE-209 was detected in all broiler tissues after 2 weeks, and concentrations were ranked as follows: fat > liver > thymus gland > heart > testis > thigh muscle > skin > lung > kidney > breast muscles > spleen (wet weight (ww)). Our results suggested that BDE-209 was widely distributed in different tissues after intestinal absorption, and preferentially accumulated in adipose and liver tissues. Observations of bioaccumulation and slow elimination in the liver and muscles provide critical insight into the toxicity of BDE-209 and risk assessment of edible tissues from broilers.

Legacy and emerging pollutants in Latin America: A critical review of occurrence and levels in environmental and food samples

The increase and indiscriminate use of personal care products, food products, fertilizers, pesticides, and health products, among others, have resulted/are resulting in extensive environmental contamination. Most of these products contain traces of widespread chemicals, usually known as emerging pollutants (EPs) or pollutants of emerging concern (PEC). The Latin American (LA) region comprises 20 countries with different social and cultural aspects, with 81 % of the population living in urban areas. The LA region has some countries on the top list of users/consumers of EPs, from pesticides and fertilizers to personal care products. However, there is a gap in information related to the distribution of EPs in the environment of this region, with very few existing review texts exploring this issue. Therefore, this present paper advances this approach. An exhaustive literature review, with the selection of 176 documents, provided unique up-to-date information on the presence/distribution of 17 classes of legacy or emerging pollutants in different food and environmental matrices (soil, sediment, water, and air). The study shows that the wide distribution and recorded levels of these pollutants in the continental environment are potential risks to human health, mainly through food and drinking water ingestion. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are pollutants of deep public concern since they show carcinogenic properties. Several classes of pollutants, like endocrine disruptors, have caused harmful effects on humans and the environment. Besides that, pharmaceutical products and pesticides are compounds of high consumption worldwide, being environmental contamination a real and ongoing possibility. Finally, gaps and future research needs are deeply pointed out.

Potential Health Risk to Brazilian Infants by Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers Exposure via Breast Milk Intake

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous flame retardants and are environmentally persistent. PBDEs show endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and lower birth weight in infants, and their human body burden has become a public health concern. The infants' exposure begins in the prenatal period and continues via breast milk ingestion, although, little is known about the factors that may influence this exposure. In this study, PBDE levels in Brazilian breast milk were assessed in 200 lactating women. The risk assessment of infants' exposure to PBDE was performed through the estimated daily intake (EDI) calculation. The geometric mean (GM) of ∑_PBDEs levels was 2.33 (0.14-6.05) ng/g wet weight. At least one PBDE congener was detected in the samples, and the 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) showed a 100% of detection rate (GM of 1.05 ng/g). Location of residence, maternal level education, monthly salary, and race were positively associated with PBDE levels (p < 0.05). The EDI of BDE-47 was higher in Belo Horizonte (8.29 ng/kg/day) than in Viçosa (6.36 ng/kg/day), as well as for the ∑_PBDEs (19.77 versus 12.78 ng/kg/day) (p < 0.05). Taking the high detection rate of PBDEs in breast milk and their toxicity, continuous studies on infant exposure, fetal growth, and child neurodevelopment are requested.

Human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) through the diet: An update of the scientific literature

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of brominated flame-retardants (BFRs). As for other persistent organic pollutants, dietary intake (followed by dust inhalation) is the main route of human exposure to PBDEs. In 2012, we reviewed the scientific literature on the concentrations of PBDEs in foodstuffs and their dietary exposure. The current review is aimed at updating the results of recent studies (2012-2022) focused on determining the levels of PBDEs in food samples, as well as the dietary intake of these compounds. We have revised studies conducted over the world. The current information on the concentrations of PBDEs in food and their dietary intake is now much more notable than that available in our previous review, being China the country contributing with the highest number of studies. Because of the important differences in materials and methods used in the available studies, the comparison of results is certainly complicated. However, there seems to be a general trend towards a decrease in the levels of PBDEs in foods, and consequently, in the dietary intake of these contaminants. The lack of tolerable daily intakes of PBDEs is an issue that needs to be solved for assessing human health risks of these BFRs.