Exposure to flame retardants in European children — Results from the HBM4EU aligned studies
Veronica van der Schyff, Jiří Kalina, Eva Govarts, Liese Gilles, Greet Schoeters, Argelia Castaño, Marta Esteban, Jiří Kohoutek, Petr Kukučka, Adrian Covaci, Gudrun Koppen, Lenka Andrýsková, Pavel Piler, Jana Klánová, Tina Kold Jensen, Loïc Rambaud, Margaux Riou, M.H. Lamoree, Marike Kolossa‐Gehring, Nina Vogel, Till Weber, Thomas Göen, Catherine Gabriel, Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, Amrit Kaur Sakhi, Line Småstuen Haug, Lubica Palkovicova Murinova, Lucia Fábelová, Janja Snoj Tratnik, Darja Mazej, Lisa Melymuk
Abstract
Many legacy and emerging flame retardants (FRs) have adverse human and environmental health effects. This study reports legacy and emerging FRs in children from nine European countries from the HBM4EU aligned studies. Studies from Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Norway conducted between 2014 and 2021 provided data on FRs in blood and urine from 2136 children. All samples were collected and analyzed in alignment with the HBM4EU protocols. Ten halogenated FRs were quantified in blood, and four organophosphate flame retardants (OPFR) metabolites quantified in urine. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) were infrequently detected (<16% of samples). BDE-47 was quantified in blood from Greece, France, and Norway, with France (0.36 ng/g lipid) having the highest concentrations. BDE-153 and -209 were detected in <40% of samples. Dechlorane Plus (DP) was quantified in blood from four countries, with notably high median concentrations of 16 ng/g lipid in Slovenian children. OPFR metabolites had a higher detection frequency than other halogenated FRs. Diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) was quantified in 99% of samples across 8 countries at levels ∼5 times higher than other OPFR metabolites (highest median in Slovenia of 2.43 ng/g lipid). FR concentrations were associated with lifestyle factors such as cleaning frequency, employment status of the father of the household, and renovation status of the house, among others. The concentrations of BDE-47 in children from this study were similar to or lower than FRs found in adult matrices in previous studies, suggesting lower recent exposure and effectiveness of PBDE restrictions.