Brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds in Flanders: research on distribution, human intake, levels in human tissues and/or body fluids, and health effects as a basis for the selection of appropriate environmental and health indicators (BFRISK).

This exploratory study aims to provide a general picture of the distribution of brominated and perfluorinated compounds in Flanders and their possible effects on human health. In spite of the many years of use of both product classes, this is the first research project that attempts to map the contamination profiles of these products in Flanders in relation to human health. Perfluoralkyl chemicals (PFCs) have been widely used since the 1960s for the treatment of clothing, in fire-fighting foams, etc. because of their specific properties (water and fat repellent, persistent with respect to acids, etc.). Since the beginning of 2000, it has become clear that the population of mainly Western countries has been exposed to this class of chemicals for a long time. PFCs comprise a wide range of components consisting of dozens of structurally different chemicals with one common characteristic: the perfluor-alkyl chain (Figure 1). This perfluorinated structure provides the desired inert properties. The most common and best documented substance is PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate). PFCs are not or hardly biodegradable, accumulate in the food chain and are found worldwide in biota (penguins, polar bears, fish, etc.) (Giesy & Kannan, 2001). The human health risks are still being investigated in detail, although it is clear that these substances have several toxic side effects such as neurological and endocrine effects in reproduction studies of rats (Kannan et al., 2004). The OECD has catalogued PFOS as "toxic to mammals" (OECD, 2002), the USEPA has recently classified PFOA (perfluorooctanoate, EPA, 2006) as "laboratory animal carcinogen".

Publication year:2009

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