Risk Characterization and Benefit-Risk Assessment of Brominated Flame Retardant in Commercially Exploited Freshwater Fishes and Crayfish of Lake Trasimeno, Italy.

Rossana Roila,David Ranucci,Raffaella Franceschini,Arianna Piersanti,Raffaella Branciari,Tamara Tavoloni,Tommaso Stecconi,Arianna Stramenga

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168763

Abstract

Among brominated flame retardants (BFRs), polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were the most widely used in past decades. BFRs not being chemically bonded to polymers means they can easily leach from the products into the environment and bioaccumulate. Humans are exposed to flame retardants mainly through food consumption, especially fish and fish products. In the present study, the occurrence of PBDEs and HBCDs in freshwater fishes and crayfish from Lake Trasimeno (Umbria region, central Italy) was assessed according to monitoring plans recommended by European competent authorities. The dietary exposure of the central Italian population to such molecules was calculated, and the risk characterization and the benefit–risk evaluation were also assessed. A total of 90 samples were analyzed by means of gas and liquid chromatography associated with triple quadrupole mass spectroscopy. A total of 51% of samples were found positive for at least one of the congeners; the most frequently found molecule was BDE-47. The data on dietary exposure ranged from 0.138 to 1.113 pg/kg body weight/day for ∑PBDE and from 0.805 to 0.868 pg/kg body weight/day for ∑HBCD. The data show no health risks for the central Italian population consuming freshwater fish products from Lake Trasimeno in relation to exposure to PBDE and HBCD.

Highlights

The term flame retardants (FRs) refers to a diverse group of chemical compounds which are added to manufactured materials, such as plastics, textiles, circuitry and building materials, in order to prevent or delay flames [1]
Since the early 1970s, the most widely used brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of 209 congeners which differ in the number and position of the bromine atoms in the two phenyl rings and are commercialized as three technical mixtures characterized by different bromination degrees: penta-BDE, octa-BDE and deca-BDE [2,3]
This evidence may be associated with the several regulatory restrictions taken for both BFR classes distribution patterns and a more widespread use compared to polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) [39]

Summary

Introduction

The term flame retardants (FRs) refers to a diverse group of chemical compounds which are added to manufactured materials, such as plastics, textiles, circuitry and building materials, in order to prevent or delay flames [1]. Since the early 1970s, the most widely used BFRs have been polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of 209 congeners which differ in the number and position of the bromine atoms in the two phenyl rings and are commercialized as three technical mixtures characterized by different bromination degrees: penta-BDE, octa-BDE and deca-BDE [2,3]. As they are mixed into polymers and not chemically bound, they might separate or leach from the products into the environment, and they have already been demonstrated to.

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion