Exposure of the French population to brominated flame retardants: National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014–2016

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used in many everyday items, even though they have been heavily regulated since the early 2000s. Their semi-volatile nature causes them to be released into the air and transported over long distances. These persistent organic pollutants have thus gradually contaminated the environment and entered the food chain. Few epidemiological studies have been conducted to estimate the health impact of exposure to BFRs. However, a few do exist, focusing on diabetes, neurobehavioral development, reproduction, impaired thyroid function, and cancer. In France, data on BFRs in the general population are lacking. In 2011, within the ELFE cohort (French Longitudinal Study from Childhood), the perinatal component of the national biomonitoring program provided the first indicators of RFB exposure in pregnant women. Since then, the cross-sectional ESTEBAN study (Health Study on the Environment, Biomonitoring, Physical Activity, and Nutrition) has, for the first time, measured levels of exposure to PBDEs in the French mainland population based on a subsample of 742 adults aged 18 to 74 and 243 children aged 6 to 17, included in the study between April 2014 and March 2016. The quantification rates of the measured PBDEs varied depending on the congeners. The majority were quantified only slightly or not at all. Regarding the most quantified PBDE congeners: in France as in Europe, these are, in order of importance: BDE 153 due to its long half-life, followed by BDE 47, BDE 100, and BDE 99. Regarding the search for determinants, this could only be conducted among adults due to the small sample size of children. The decision was made to construct a model for PBDEs based on the four most quantified congeners. Finally, as reported in the literature, time spent in a car was identified as a determinant of PBDE exposure levels. Ventilation was also identified as a determinant influencing RFB concentrations, whether in terms of ventilation frequency or the presence of a mechanical ventilation system. Finally, few dietary determinants appear to influence RFB concentrations in the Esteban study: only cheese consumption was found to influence levels of deca-BDE 209. It appears that RFB concentrations in the French population are similar to those found in other European countries but are lower than those measured in North American countries, except for BDE 209.

Author(s): Fillol Clémence, Balicco Alexis, Bidondo Marie-Laure, Daoudi Jamel, Gane Jessica, Oleko Amivi, Saoudi Abdessattar, Zeghnoun Abdelkrim

Publishing year: 2019

Pages: 62 p.

Collection: Environmental Health

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