Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health, School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Oct;119(10):1442-8. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1002874. Epub 2011 Apr 15.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), which are used as flame retardants, have been found to be higher in residents of California than of other parts of the United States.
We aimed to investigate the role of immigration to California on PBDE levels in Latino children.
We compared serum PBDE concentrations in a population of first-generation Mexican-American 7-year-old children (n = 264), who were born and raised in California [Center for Health Analysis of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study], with 5-year-old Mexican children (n = 283), who were raised in the states in Mexico where most CHAMACOS mothers had originated (Proyecto Mariposa).
On average, PBDE serum concentrations in the California Mexican-American children were three times higher than their mothers' levels during pregnancy and seven times higher than concentrations in the children living in Mexico. The PBDE serum concentrations were higher in the Mexican-American children regardless of length of time their mother had resided in California or the duration of the child's breast-feeding. These data suggest that PBDE serum concentrations in these children resulted primarily from postnatal exposure.
Latino children living in California have much higher PBDE serum levels than their Mexican counterparts. Given the growing evidence documenting potential health effects of PBDE exposure, the levels in young children noted in this study potentially present a major public health challenge, especially in California. In addition, as PBDEs are being phased out and replaced by other flame retardants, the health consequences of these chemical replacements should be investigated and weighed against their purported fire safety benefits.
多溴联苯醚（PBDE）作为阻燃剂被广泛应用，其在加利福尼亚州居民体内的含量高于美国其他地区。
本研究旨在探讨移民到加利福尼亚州对拉丁裔儿童体内多溴联苯醚水平的影响。
我们比较了第一代墨西哥裔美国 7 岁儿童（n=264）和在墨西哥原籍州长大的 5 岁墨西哥儿童（n=283）的血清多溴联苯醚浓度。这些儿童均在加利福尼亚州出生并成长（CHAMACOS 研究）。
与居住在墨西哥的儿童相比，加利福尼亚州的墨西哥裔美国儿童的血清多溴联苯醚浓度平均高出 3 倍，是其母亲怀孕期间的 7 倍。无论其母亲在加利福尼亚州居住时间长短或母乳喂养时间长短，这些儿童的多溴联苯醚血清浓度都较高。这些数据表明，这些儿童体内的多溴联苯醚浓度主要来自于出生后的暴露。
居住在加利福尼亚州的拉丁裔儿童的多溴联苯醚血清水平明显高于其在墨西哥的同龄人。鉴于越来越多的证据表明多溴联苯醚暴露可能对健康造成影响，本研究中观察到的幼儿体内多溴联苯醚浓度水平可能对公共健康构成重大挑战，特别是在加利福尼亚州。此外，由于多溴联苯醚正在逐步淘汰并被其他阻燃剂所取代，应研究这些化学替代品的健康影响，并权衡其所谓的消防安全效益。
