Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance (China Pharmaceutical University), Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, PR China; Jiangsu Institute for Food and Drug Control, Nanjing, 210019, PR China.
Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance (China Pharmaceutical University), Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, PR China.
Environ Pollut. 2021 May 1;276:116680. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116680. Epub 2021 Feb 7.
China produces and consumes large quantities of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) as well as several other unregulated electronic waste recycling activities, causing high BFR concentrations in the natural environment. Thus, Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) may be contaminated by legacy BFRs (e.g. polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)) and emerging BFRs (eBFRs, such as decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE)) during growth, processing, packaging, and transportation. Pheretima, which is a typical animal drug recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, was used as an example to evaluate human exposure to BFRs through TCM intake. This study is the first to determine 25 PBDEs and 5 eBFRs in Pheretima and estimate the daily BFR intake via Pheretima-containing TCMs. Twenty-seven Shanghai Pheretima and fifty-one Guang Pheretima samples were collected between March and June 2019 in southeast China. High BFR detection frequencies were found in Pheretima, of which BDE-209 and DBDPE were the most predominant analytes. The total PBDE contents ranged from 73 pg/g to 8,725 pg/g, while that of the eBFRs varied between 115 pg/g and 2,824 pg/g. The profiles and abundances were found to be species- and origin-dependent. However, the traditional processing of Pheretima may reduce BFR residues. Based on the usual clinical doses of Pheretima and the available chronic oral reference doses of BDE-47, 99, 153, and 209, the mean (95th percentile) of the total hazard quotient was estimated to be 9.1 × 10 (2.7 × 10). Therefore, there is little risk related to BFR exposure for patients taking formulated Pheretima-containing TCMs. However, it is necessary to establish routine monitoring programs for the co-existence of pollutants in TCMs to perform a systematic and comprehensive risk assessment.
中国生产和消费大量溴系阻燃剂（BFRs）以及其他几种不受监管的电子废物回收活动，导致自然环境中 BFR 浓度很高。因此，传统中药（TCMs）在生长、加工、包装和运输过程中可能会受到遗留 BFR（例如多溴二苯醚（PBDEs））和新兴 BFR（例如十溴二苯乙烷（DBDPE））的污染。地龙，这是一种典型的动物药物，被记录在中国药典中，被用作评估人类通过摄入 TCM 接触 BFR 的例子。本研究首次测定了地龙中的 25 种 PBDEs 和 5 种 eBFRs，并估计了通过含地龙的 TCMs 摄入的每日 BFR 摄入量。2019 年 3 月至 6 月，在中国东南部采集了 27 种上海地龙和 51 种广东地龙样本。在地龙中发现了高 BFR 检测频率，其中 BDE-209 和 DBDPE 是最主要的分析物。总 PBDE 含量范围为 73 pg/g 至 8725 pg/g，而 eBFR 含量范围为 115 pg/g 至 2824 pg/g。发现其特征和丰度取决于物种和来源。然而，地龙的传统加工可能会减少 BFR 残留。基于地龙的常用临床剂量和可用的慢性口服 BDE-47、99、153 和 209 的参考剂量，估计总危害商的平均值（95 百分位）为 9.1×10（2.7×10）。因此，服用地龙配方 TCM 的患者接触 BFR 带来的风险很小。然而，有必要建立 TCM 中污染物共存的常规监测计划，以进行系统和全面的风险评估。
