This Little PBDE Went to Market: Estimating Intake from Grocery Store Foods
2006
Estimating PBDE Intake from Grocery Store Foods
Sample size: 62
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Victoria McGovern
Primary Institution: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Hypothesis
How do grocery store foods contribute to PBDE intake in the U.S. population?
Conclusion
U.S. foods are generally more contaminated by PBDEs than foods in Japan or Spain, but additional exposure routes are also significant.
Supporting Evidence
- PBDEs have increased substantially in the last two to three decades.
- High levels of PBDEs have been found in human milk, blood, and adipose tissue.
- Fish had the most PBDE contamination by weight, followed by meats and dairy foods.
- Nursing infants’ intake of PBDEs is primarily via breast milk.
Takeaway
This study looked at how much of a chemical called PBDE is found in foods we buy at the grocery store and how it might affect us.
Methodology
High-resolution mass spectrometry was used to measure 13 different PBDE congeners in food samples.
Limitations
The study does not fully explain the larger blood and milk burdens of PBDEs observed in Americans compared to other countries.
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website