Abstract
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used in insulation and textile coatings. In the near future, HBCD may be prohibited internationally because of concerns regarding its persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic nature. We estimated the exposure of Japanese people to HBCD and the temporal trend of the exposure in a three-stage exposure analysis.
First, we calculated the HBCD concentrations in air, soil, water, and sediments using a multi-media environmental fate model, based on HBCD emissions from 1985 to 2030 estimated from a substance flow analysis in Japan. Then, the concentrations in nine exposure sources were computed: ambient air, car air, building air, house dust, leaf vegetables, root vegetables, meat, milk, fish, and tap water. Finally, the exposure to HBCD via each source was determined based on the HBCD concentration in each source.
The highest HBCD exposure level was observed in 2011 at 4.8 ng/kg BW/day (intake via inhalation 0.33 ng/kg BW/day, via ingestion 4.5 ng/kg BW/day, dermal absorption 1.4×10-8 ng/kg BW/day).
