Hexabromocyclododecanes in human adipose tissue from Japan
Tomohiko Isobe A B , Hiroko Oda A , Nozomi Takayanagi A , Tatsuya Kunisue A C , Hiroaki Komori D , Norimasa Arita D , Norifumi Ueda D , Masato Nose D , Taketo Yamada E , Shin Takahashi A and Shinsuke Tanabe A FA Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan.
B Senior Research Fellow Center, Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan.
C Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, State University of New York at Albany, Wadsworth Center, Empire State Plaza, PO Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA.
D Department of Pathology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Japan.
E Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku 160-8582, Japan.
F Corresponding author. Email: shinsuke@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp
Environmental Chemistry 6(4) 328-333 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN09024
Submitted: 27 February 2009 Accepted: 19 June 2009 Published: 25 August 2009
Environmental context. Contamination by hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), a group of brominated flame retardants, is of great concern due to their bioaccumulative nature and toxic implications. HBCD consumption in Japan is the highest among Asian countries and is still growing. In this regard, human exposure to HBCDs is of great concern in Japan. We present here the results of our investigation on Japanese human adipose tissue using LC-MS/MS. HBCDs were detected in all the samples analysed, and were generally higher in men than in women.
Abstract. Residue levels of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were measured using LC-MS/MS in the Japanese human adipose tissue samples collected during 2003–2004 from Ehime prefecture (n = 26) and Kanto region (n = 9) of Japan. Concentrations of HBCDs (0.85–39 ng g–1 lipid) in the adipose tissue samples were 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than those of organochlorines (OCs). Regional differences between HBCD levels in Ehime prefecture and Kanto region were not significant. No age-dependent accumulation of HBCDs was observed. HBCD levels in men were significantly higher than those in women. Significant positive correlation between polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and HBCDs implies similar routes of exposure to these contaminants for Japanese citizens. α-HBCD was predominant among the three isomers, which is consistent with the other reports on bioaccumulation of α-HBCD in higher trophic animals.
Acknowledgements
We express our heartfelt gratitude to the families of the donors. We also thank the doctors and medical officers of Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine and School of Medicine, Keio University for their help in sample collection. Financial support was provided by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S: 20221003, Young Scientists B: 19780239) and Global COE Program of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture and Technology (MEXT) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). This research was also partly supported by MEXT’s program ‘Promotion of Environmental Improvement for Independence of Young Researchers’ under the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology and the Global Environment Research Fund (RF-094) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. We thank Dr Subramanian (CMES) for critical review.
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