Dataset Information

A comparison of PBDE serum concentrations in Mexican and Mexican-American children living in California.

ABSTRACT:

Background

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.

Objectives

We aimed to investigate the role of immigration to California on PBDE levels in Latino children.

Methods

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).

Results

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.

Conclusions

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.

SUBMITTER: Eskenazi B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3230428 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

A comparison of PBDE serum concentrations in Mexican and Mexican-American children living in California.

Eskenazi Brenda B Fenster Laura L Castorina Rosemary R Marks Amy R AR Sjödin Andreas A Rosas Lisa Goldman LG Holland Nina N Guerra Armando Garcia AG Lopez-Carillo Lizbeth L Bradman Asa A

Environmental health perspectives 20110415 10

<h4>Background</h4>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.<h4>Objectives</h4>We aimed to investigate the role of immigration to California on PBDE levels in Latino children.<h4>Methods</h4>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 Healt ...[more]

PMID: 21498147

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Project description:Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental chemicals that have long half-lives. Humans are exposed to PCBs and PBDEs mainly through diet, and relative to other populations, those who consume sport-caught fish generally have elevated body burdens. Numerous studies have found associations between prenatal exposure to these chemicals and neurodevelopmental deficits, but there are few studies assessing the impact of exposure during adolescence, a period of rapid development of executive functions. We assessed executive functions in adolescents at risk for exposure to PCBs and PBDEs through consumption of fish from the Lower Fox River and other contaminated waters in northeastern Wisconsin. Between 2007 and 2012, a sample of 115 12-18-year-old children was recruited from households in the Green Bay, WI area in which at least one parent held a WI fishing license. We assessed associations of total PCBs and total PBDEs, as well as the predominant individual congeners (PBDE 47 and 153; PCB 138/163, 153 and 180) with performance on four tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB): Intradimensional/Extradimensional Set-Shifting (ID/ED) which assesses cognitive flexibility, Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS) which assesses visual recognition memory, Spatial Working Memory (SWM), and Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) which assess planning and working memory. In addition to the exposure and outcome variables, multivariable regression models included the child's age, sex and IQ score as well as a sex by exposure interaction term. All of the children were non-Hispanic whites and most parents were married, employed, and had at least some college. After adjusting for serum lipids, the GM (GSD) for total PCBs (ng/g) was 30.83 (2.46), and the GM (GSD) for the predominant PCB congeners PCB 138/163, PCB 153, and PCB 180 were 4.60 (2.39), 5.43 (2.37), and 1.01 (2.71), respectively. The GM (GSD) for total PBDEs (ng/g) was 26.82 (3.30), and the GM (GSD) for the predominant PBDE congeners PBDE 47 and PBDE 153 were 16.64 (2.94) and 3.95 (3.43), respectively. For both chemicals, the primary finding of the negative binomial regression analyses was that higher blood serum concentrations were associated with poorer cognitive flexibility as measured on the ID/ED task. In particular, the PCB x sex interaction p-value was 0.08, and stratifying by sex demonstrated that males with higher blood serum total PCB concentrations (β = 2.20, 95% CL: 1.16, 4.16, p = 0.02) took more trials to complete the ID/ED task, while both males and females with higher total PBDE concentrations (β = 1.74, 95% CL: 1.25, 2.42, p = 0.001) took more total trials to complete the task. Higher serum total PCB concentrations were also associated with more errors on the DMS task (β = 1.15, 95% CL: 1.00, 1.31, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that exposure to PCBs or PBDEs during adolescence may be associated with impaired cognitive flexibility and that adolescent PCB exposure may be associated with visual recognition memory deficits.

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Dataset Information

A comparison of PBDE serum concentrations in Mexican and Mexican-American children living in California.

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

A comparison of PBDE serum concentrations in Mexican and Mexican-American children living in California.

Similar Datasets

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