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Children's exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) through mouthing toys

Alin C Ionas1, Jocelyn Ulevicus2, Ana Ballesteros Gómez3

  • 1Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, de Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Environment International
|December 15, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Infants may be exposed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from mouthing toys. Leaching rates varied by congener, with lower brominated PBDEs migrating more readily than heavier ones.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Toxicology
  • Pediatric Health

Background:

  • Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants found in consumer products, including children's toys.
  • Previous detection of PBDEs in toys raised concerns about potential child exposure routes.
  • The specific risk associated with infants mouthing toys containing PBDEs remains largely unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of infant mouthing behaviors on exposure to PBDEs from toys.
  • To quantify the leaching rate of PBDEs from toys into simulated saliva.
  • To compare PBDE exposure from toy mouthing to other common exposure pathways in infants.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a leaching model to simulate PBDE migration from toys into saliva.
  • Incubation of certified reference materials (CRMs) and a BDE 209-containing plastic item under simulated mouthing conditions.
  • Analysis of PBDE migration rates and congener-dependent leaching percentages.
  • Comparison of estimated exposure levels to established thresholds and other exposure routes (mother's milk, diet, dust).

Main Results:

  • PBDE migration rates were highest under short-term (15 min) low-exposure scenarios with CRM (198 pg/cm(2) × min).
  • Leaching was congener-dependent, with lower brominated PBDEs leaching up to 4.5 times more than heavier congeners.
  • A plastic item containing 7% BDE 209 leached higher amounts in 15 min than the CRM after 16 hours.
  • For the Belgian population, toy mouthing exposure (at REACH threshold levels) exceeded exposure from diet and dust, but was lower than from mother's milk.

Conclusions:

  • Infant mouthing of PBDE-containing toys represents a significant exposure pathway.
  • The congener-specific leaching behavior influences the overall risk assessment.
  • Exposure from mouthing toys can be comparable to or exceed other common exposure routes, highlighting the need for regulatory attention.

Keywords:
Exposure assessmentIn vitroMouthingPlasticsPolybrominated diphenyl ethersSaliva

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