[Concentration and Distribution of Novel Brominated Flame Retardants in Human Serum from Three Chinese Cities]

Four novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), hexabromobenzene (HBB), pentabromotoluen (PBT), pentabromophenyl (PBBz), and tetrabromo-p-xylene (PTBX), were found in human serum samples pooled by donor age (≥ 60, 50-59, 40-49, 30-39, and 20-29 years old) and supplied by Yitong (YT, Jilin Province), Ganzi (GZ, Sichuan Province), and Huaihua (HH, Hunan Province). PBBz, PBT, and HBB were found in each of the pooled samples. The total NBFRs concentration in YT and HH were higher than the concentration found in GZ. The concentrations of total NBFRs, HBB, PBT, and PBBz (except GZ) were elevated in young people. In both YT and HH, the main pollutants were found in the five age groups; however, the main pollutants in GZ were not obvious, and the concentration ratios of four of the NBFRs were basically stable in the five age groups. The distribution of NBFRs in human serum in the three cities showed different trends in the five age groups, which indicated different sources of pollution in different areas. The total concentrations of NBFRs in the industrially developed areas (YT and HH) were higher than that in the less developed areas (GZ).