EXCERPT: "Fish were found to be highest in PBDEs with mean 1120 pg/g, median 616 pg/g and range from 11.14 to 3726 pg/g. This was followed by meat with mean 383 pg/g, median 190 pg/g and range from 39 to 1426 pg/g; and dairy products with mean 116 pg/g, median 32.2 pg/g and range from 7.9 to 683 pg/g."

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/9121/abstract.html

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Levels in an Expanded Market Basket Survey of United States (U.S) Food and Estimated PBDE Dietary Intake by Age and Gender

By Arnold Schecter, Olaf Päpke, T. Robert Harris, KC Tung, Alice Musumba, James Olson, and Linda Birnbaum

Abstract

Background and objectives: This study expands a previously reported U.S. market basket survey of food for polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) levels with a larger sample size of 62 individual analyses for 13 congeners. In addition, it estimates levels of PBDE intake from food by gender and age for the U.S. general population.

Results and Discussion: In food samples, total PBDEs varied from 7.9 pg/g, or parts per trillion (ppt), in milk to 3,726 pg/g in canned sardines. Fish were found to be highest in PBDEs with mean 1120 pg/g, median 616 pg/g and range from 11.14 to 3726 pg/g. This was followed by meat with mean 383 pg/g, median 190 pg/g and range from 39 to 1426 pg/g; and dairy products with mean 116 pg/g, median 32.2 pg/g and range from 7.9 to 683 pg/g.

However, using estimates for food consumption, meat accounted for the highest U.S. dietary PBDE intake, followed by dairy and fish with almost equal contributions, except for nursing infants. Women had lower dietary intake of PBDEs than did men on a body weight basis. PBDE intake from food was estimated at 307 ng/kg-day for nursing infants, and varied from 2 ng/kg-day at age 2-5 for both males and females to 0.9 ng/kgday in adult women.

Conclusion: Dietary exposure alone does not appear to account for the very high body burdens measured. It is suggested that the indoor environment (dust, air) may play an important role in PBDE body burdens in addition to food.

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