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OBJECTIVES: The objective of this article is to extend our previous studies of persistent organic pollutant (POP) contamination of U.S. food by measuring perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated [...]

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to update previous U.S. market basket surveys of levels and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) dietary intake calculations. This study also quantifies hexa-bromocyclododecane (HBCD) levels in [...]

OBJECTIVES: Our objectives in this study were to expand a previously reported U.S. market basket survey using a larger sample size and to estimate levels of PBDE intake from food [...]

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs, dioxins), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental endocrine disruptors that have half-lives of 7-10 years in the human body and have toxicities that probably [...]

The aim of this study is to examine the association between transplacental exposure to dioxins/polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and thyroid and growth hormones in newborns. We recruited 118 pregnant women, between [...]

No previous reports exist on polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in human milk from individual U.S. mothers. This article on PBDEs is an extension of our previous studies on concentrations [...]

The presence of major organohalogen contaminants in butter, to trace geographical differences and to determine the toxic equivalents (TEQs) of polycholrinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDS), dibebxofurans (PCDFs) and doxin-like biphenyls (PCBs) in butter is assessed. The highest hexachloroethane (HCB) levels were found in butter samples from Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and Slovenia and low levels of HCB in butter were generally found in Southern Hemisphere.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants have been increasing exponentially in the US general population in recent decades. PBDEs are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and thus are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative. Levels in human blood and milk are markedly higher in North America than Europe. Food is a major route of intake. Typically higher levels of PBDEs are found in food of animal origin including fish, meat, and dairy products. Currently, there are no published data on the levels of PBDE in US fruits, vegetables, or food of vegetable origin. This study was conducted to study PBDE contamination in US fruits, vegetables, and food of vegetable origin; compare with levels in US fish, meat, and dairy products and with levels in vegetables in other countries. This is a follow-up study of our previously reported studies on PBDE levels in US food of animal origin. Of 14 food samples collected in Dallas, Texas, the total sum of five PBDE congeners, Σ5 PBDE, ranged from 2.6 to 90 pg g-1 or parts per trillion (ppt) wet weight (ww). The median and mean concentrations of 14 individual samples were 11.2 pg g-1 and 19.5 pg g-1, respectively. The highest PBDE level was observed in wheat bread (90 pg g-1) and lowest in soy milk (2.6 pg g-1). Median PBDE levels of vegetables (11.2 pg g-1) are low compared to our previously measured median PBDE levels of fish (616 pg g-1), meat (190 pg g-1) and dairy products (32 pg g-1). PBDE levels in this study were found to have intermediate values compared to fruit and vegetable levels reported from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial environmental pollution has been alleged in Ukraine, but little information is available to allow an assessment of the possible impact on humans. To help remedy this lack of information, it was of interest to investigate whether certain polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), or coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were elevated in people from Ukraine. Samples of breast milk were obtained from 200 women from the cities of Kyiv and Dniprodzerzhinsk; Kyiv is the capital and Dniprodzerzhinsk is a highly industrialized city. The samples were combined into four pools by city and age, and analyzed for 7 PCDDs, 10 PCDFs, and 2 coplanar PCBs (126 and 169). The total of the measured PCDDs, expressed as toxic equivalents, ranged from 5.1 to 7.6 pg/g lipid; for PCDFs from 3.6 to 5.2, and for PCBs from 11 to 18 pg/ g lipid. Results from the two cities were similar; older women had slightly higher concentrations than did younger women. Levels of these compounds seen in Ukraine were similar to or lower than those seen in other recent studies from European and Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]