University of Texas School of Public Health, 6011 Harry Hines Blvd., V8.122E, Dallas, TX 75390-9128 USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Sep;120(9):1260-4. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1204993. Epub 2012 May 31.
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used in polystyrene foams in thermal insulation and electrical equipment. The HBCD commercial mixture consists mainly of α, β, and γ stereoisomers. Health concerns of HBCD exposure include alterations in immune and reproductive systems, neurotoxic effects, and endocrine disruption. Stereoisomer-specific levels of HBCD have not been measured previously in U.S. food.
We measured HBCD stereoisomer levels in U.S. foods from Dallas, Texas, supermarkets.
Convenience samples of commonly consumed foods were purchased from supermarkets in Dallas in 2009-2010. Food samples included a wide variety of lipid-rich foods: fish, peanut butter, poultry, pork, and beef. Thirty-six individual food samples were collected in 2010 and analyzed for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD stereoisomers using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Ten pooled food samples previously collected in 2009 for a study of total HBCD levels using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), were reanalyzed for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD stereoisomers using LC-MS/MS.
Of the 36 measured individual foods, 15 (42%) had detectable levels of HBCD. Median (ranges) of α- and γ-HBCD concentrations were 0.003 (< 0.005-1.307) and 0.005 (< 0.010-0.143) ng/g wet weight (ww), respectively; β-HBCD was present in three samples with a median (range) of 0.003 (< 0.005-0.019) ng/g ww. Median levels (range) for α-, β-, and γ-HBCD, in pooled samples were 0.077 (0.010-0.310), 0.008 (< 0.002-0.070), and 0.024 (0.012-0.170) ng/g ww, respectively.
α-HBCD was detected most frequently and at highest concentrations, followed by γ-, and then β-HBCD, in food samples from Dallas, Texas. Food may be a substantial contributor to the elevated α-HBCD levels observed in humans. These data suggest that larger and more representative sampling should be conducted.
六溴环十二烷（HBCD）是一种溴化阻燃剂，用于隔热和电器设备中的聚苯乙烯泡沫。HBCD 商业混合物主要由 α、β 和 γ 立体异构体组成。HBCD 暴露引起的健康问题包括免疫系统和生殖系统的改变、神经毒性作用和内分泌干扰。以前在美国食品中没有测量过 HBCD 立体异构体的水平。
我们测量了来自德克萨斯州达拉斯市超市的美国食品中的 HBCD 立体异构体水平。
2009-2010 年，从达拉斯市的超市购买了方便的各种常吃食物。食物样本包括各种富含脂质的食物：鱼、花生酱、家禽、猪肉和牛肉。2010 年收集了 36 个单独的食物样本，并使用液相色谱-串联质谱法（LC-MS/MS）分析了 α-、β-和 γ-HBCD 立体异构体。2009 年以前收集的用于气相色谱-质谱法（GC-MS）测定总 HBCD 水平的 10 个混合食物样本，也使用 LC-MS/MS 重新分析了 α-、β-和 γ-HBCD 立体异构体。
在所测量的 36 个单个食物中，有 15 个（42%）可检测到 HBCD 水平。α-和 γ-HBCD 浓度的中位数（范围）分别为 0.003（<0.005-1.307）和 0.005（<0.010-0.143）ng/g 湿重（ww）；β-HBCD 存在于三个样本中，中位数（范围）为 0.003（<0.005-0.019）ng/g ww。混合样本中 α-、β-和 γ-HBCD 的中位数（范围）分别为 0.077（0.010-0.310）、0.008（<0.002-0.070）和 0.024（0.012-0.170）ng/g ww。
在来自德克萨斯州达拉斯的食物样本中，最常检测到 α-HBCD，浓度最高，其次是 γ-HBCD，然后是 β-HBCD。食物可能是导致人类观察到的 α-HBCD 水平升高的重要因素。这些数据表明，应该进行更大和更具代表性的采样。
