SOME PBDE CONGENERS IN THE SERUM OF DOGS

BFRs (brominated flame retardants) have been used as flame retardants for the last 60 years, but their negative effects on animals and possibly humans have been observed only in the last 20 years, as this is when they began to be the subject of more intense studies. They can migrate out of products to which they are added and enter the environment ; consequently they have been detected in a variety of samples, including the atmosphere, lake and sea sediments, human and pet (dogs, cats) serum and food, cow fat and milk, moos liver, arctic fox and polar bear adipose tissue, bald eagles and herring gull eggs. The widespread presence of flame retardants in the indoor environment makes domestic pets, who share human environment and even food, a perfect indicator for biomonitoring studies. Among BFRs, the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have received the most attention. We measured the concentrations of some PBDE congeners (BDE 28, BDE 47, BDE 66, BDE 100, BDE 99, BDE 85, BDE 154, BDE 153, and BDE 183) in the serum of 20 obese and 20 normal house dogs. We found no statistical difference between the concentrations of all PBDE congeners in both groups of dogs. Average values were 0.0190±0.0302 ng g-1 and 0.0112±0.0091 ng g-1, respectively. BDE 47 and BDE 99 were the predominant congeners in both groups of dogs.