Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

An Air-liquid Interface Bronchial Epithelial Model for Realistic, Repeated Inhalation Exposure to Airborne Particles for Toxicity Testing
Published on: May 13, 2020
Occupational exposure to hexabromocyclododecane at an industrial plant
Cathrine Thomsen1, Paal Molander, Hanne L Daae
1Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, N-0403 Oslo, Norway.
Abstract:
Occupational exposure to hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) among workers at an industrial plant producing expandable polystyrene (PS) added HBCD as flame retardant has been assessed in the present study. Airborne dust samples were collected near the breathing zone of 10 male workers during three 8-h work shifts. The HBCD concentrations in the airborne dust varied from 0.2 to 150 microg/m3 (mean 12.2 and median 2.1 microg/m3). Two serum samples were obtained from each of the workers. The mean serum concentration was 190 ng/g lipids; the median was 101 ng/g lipids (range 6 to 856 ng/g lipids). HBCD was not detected above 1 ng/g lipids (LOD) in any samples from persons in a reference group with no occupational exposure to HBCD. The contribution of gamma-HBCD to the total HBCD serum concentration was notably high (39%) compared to what has usually been observed in biological samples. There was no clear correlation of serum levels with average HBCD concentrations in the airborne dust samples collected near the subjects' breathing zone. The elevated exposure levels reported in this study compared to urban air and serum levels in general populations suggest that further and more detailed exposure assessment studies should be initiated in industries where HBCD is applied.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Toxidromes: Clinical Features
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Physical Properties of Amines
Halogenation of Alkenes
Consider the bromination of cyclopentene. Molecular bromine is polarized in the proximity of the π electrons of cyclopentene. An electrophilic bromine atom adds across the double bond, forming a cyclic bromonium ion intermediate.
Toxicity Testing in Animals

