Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hydroxylated PBDEs in human serum from Shanghai, China: a study on their presence and correlations

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are becoming a public health concern because of their potential toxicity, from endocrine disruption system to neurodevelopmental impairments. Nonetheless, information on their levels in human blood is scarce. In this study, human serum samples collected in Shanghai, China, were analyzed for the concentrations of PBDEs and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PBDEs). Eight PBDE congeners and six OH-PBDE congeners were quantified in serum samples by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). As a result, total PBDE concentration ranged from 0.280 to 12.330 ng g−1 on a lipid weight basis lw (median: 1.100 ng g−1 lw) and the total OH-PBDE level ranged from 0.045 to 0.363 ng g−1 (lw) (median: 0.187 ng g−1 lw). Among them, BDE-47 and 6-OH-BDE-47 were the predominant PBDEs and OH-PBDEs, respectively. In addition, based on the results of the Bartelett X2 test, BDE-47 significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with BDE-28, BDE-100, BDE-85, and BDE-154, whereas 3′-OH-BDE-7 significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with 3-OH-BDE-47, 2-OH-BDE-68, and 6′-OH-BDE-99. Among all donors, no significant association between age and PBDEs (or OH-PBDEs) was found. Further research on the exposure routes in the environment and metabolic processing of PBDEs in human blood is necessary.