PBDEs and autism mini-review, high levels in CA breast adipose tissue

Dear all,

Please see below recently e-published papers about the brominated flame retardant pentaBDE's possible connection to autism and also high levels in California women's adipose tissue. PentaBDE was primarily used to treat foam in furniture and baby products to meet the California furniture flammability standard Technical Bulletin 117. Even though pentaBDE has been banned, furniture containing it will stay in use for decades leading to ongoing exposure from house dust. In addition there are problems of end of life disposal of penta treated products and the increasing contamination of our food supply. Please let Rebecca know if your would like a pdf of the autism mini-review.

Also, the flame retardant HBCD, used with all polystyrene insulation, moved one step closer to global regulation. Accord to Dr. Georg Becher, "the POPs Review Committee last week at its 6th Meeting has adopted the risk profile for HBCD. This is an important step forward to include HBCD in the POPs list of the Stockholm Convention."

Kind regards,
Arlene

Physiol Behav. 2010 Jun 1;100(3):245-9. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
Mini-review: polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants as potential autism risk factors.
Messer A.
Wadsworth Center, NY State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, United States. messer@wadsworth.org

Abstract
Brominated flame retardants, including Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used at increasing levels in home furnishings and electronics over the past 25 years. They have also become widespread environmental pollutants. High PBDE levels have been detected in food, household dust, and indoor air, with subsequent appearance in animal and human tissues. This minireview summarizes studies on the extent to which these compounds can act as potent thyroid hormone mimetics, and emerging studies on long-term neurological effects of acute administration of PBDEs during development. When these data are considered in combination with the extensive literature on stage-dependent effects of thyroid hormone on aspects of brain development that are also implicated in autistic brains, a hypothesis that PBDEs might also serve as autism risk factors emerges. Studies designed to explicitly test this hypothesis will require chronic exposure paradigms, and specific body burden and behavioral monitoring in animal models. Such testing may help to prioritize extensive human epidemiological studies, as well as offer protocols for evaluation of future compounds.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Environ Int. 2010 Oct 14. [Epub ahead of print]

High concentrations of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in breast adipose tissue of California women.
Petreas M, Nelson D, Brown FR, Goldberg D, Hurley S, Reynolds P.
Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA.

Abstract
We measured major PBDEs and PCBs in breast adipose tissues of California women participating in a breast cancer study in the late 1990s. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography with electron impact ionization and tandem mass spectrometry detection. The congener profile observed was: BDE47>BDE99>BDE153>BDE100>BDE154 and PCB153>PCB180>PCB138>PCB118. Whereas high correlations were observed within each chemical class, very weak correlations appeared between classes, pointing to different exposure pathways. Weak negative associations were observed for PBDE congeners and age. Our PBDE data are among the highest reported, exceeding data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and consistent with the high use of PBDEs in California. These data may be helpful in establishing a baseline for PBDE body burdens to gauge changes over time as a result of restrictions in the use of PBDE formulations.
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve