Dietary exposure and risk assessment of the Swedish general adult population to organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers: A food market basket study

The occurrence of 17 organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs), 9 legacy phthalates (LPs) and 11 alternative plasticizers (APs) was measured in 51 composite food samples from 17 food categories, collected in 2022 in the frame of the most recent Swedish food market basket study. Among PFRs, 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPHP) had the highest detection frequency (DF, 65%). Food categories with the highest PFR levels were pastries, fats and oils, and meat substitutes. Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) was the most frequently detected plasticizer (DF 71%). Fatty dairy products, fats and oils and fatty fish were the food categories with the highest LP contamination, while meat substitutes, cereal products and fats and oils were the food categories with the highest AP levels. The estimated daily intake (EDI) for the adult Swedish population was 249 ng/kg bw/day for SPFRs, 1128 ng/kg bw/day for SLPs and 1515 ng/kg bw/day for SAPs. Tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and EHDPHP were the main contributors to the EDI for PFRs, with fruit products and meat contributing the most. For plasticizers, and diisononyl phthalate (DINP) was the main contributor to the EDI of SLPs while acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) contributed most to the EDI of SAPs. Fatty dairy products and cereal products were the food categories contributing most to the EDI of SLPs and SAPs, respectively. EDI values for individual PFRs and plasticizers were lower than health-based guidance values, indicating that the general Swedish population is not at risk for health effects of PFRs and plasticizers by dietary intake.