Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have found extensive use in consumer applications such as electrical and electronic goods, soft furnishings, and building insulation foam to impart properties such as flame retardancy and stain resistance. Such use has led to environmental contamination and human exposure. Owing to concerns about their environmental persistence, ability to bioaccumulate and potential adverse health effects in humans and wildlife, some BFRs and PFASs have been listed under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), an international treaty designed to eliminate POPs from the environment. Previous studies have revealed low levels of BFRs and PFASs in Irish foodstuffs and human milk. However, no such data existed for Ireland prior to this project about the presence of both BFRs and PFASs in indoor air and dust, and of PFASs in drinking water. This project therefore measured selected BFRs and PFASs in indoor air and dust from Irish homes, offices, cars, and school classrooms (n=30 per microenvironment category). The same contaminants were measured in 16 samples of human milk donated by Irish mothers, created from samples from 92 individuals. PFASs were also measured in samples of Irish tap (n=85) and bottled water (n=31). Comparison of concentrations of BFRs in human milk in this study and in a previous Irish study conducted in 2011, reveal restrictions on the manufacture and use of hexabromocyclododecane and both the Penta- and Octa-bromodiphenyl ether products appear to have been successful in reducing concentrations in Irish human milk. Likely as a consequence of the more recent ban on manufacture and use of the Deca-BDE product, concentrations in human milk in this study show no significant decline compared 2011. Moreover, while in 2011, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) - a likely replacement for Deca-BDE - was not detected in any human milk sample, DBDPE was detected in 3 samples in this study. This implies increasing use of DBDPE as a ?drop-in? replacement for Deca-BDE, and is supported by our findings that concentrations of DBDPE in both indoor air and dust in this study are the highest reported to date anywhere. While this is likely because this study is one of the few conducted since the listing of Deca-BDE under the Stockholm Convention and that future studies elsewhere will likely reveal similarly elevated concentrations of DBDPE; it suggests further research into exposure to DBDPE and its health effects is a priority. With respect to PFASs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) dominated air and drinking water, while perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) dominated dust. PFOS concentrations in classroom air exceeded significantly those in homes. Concentrations of PFOA, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol (MeFOSE) in air, were significantly higher in cars containing child car seats than in cars without. PFOS, PFOA, PFBS, and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) were all detected frequently in drinking water but concentrations of PFASs were low, and although PFASs were 64 ng/L in one bottled water sample, this fell below a Swedish Action Level of 90 ng PFASs/L. The Irish population?s exposure to PFOS and PFOA via non-dietary sources is well below estimates of dietary exposure elsewhere in Europe. Moreover, even under a high-end exposure scenario, it falls below the European Food Safety Authority?s (EFSA) provisional tolerable weekly intakes (TWIs) for PFOS and PFOA. Concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA in Irish human milk are within the range of those reported elsewhere in the world. Other PFASs were not detected in human milk. Reassuringly, concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in Irish human milk currently do not indicate a health concern, based on breastfeeding exposure scenarios carried out by EFSA. Application of a simple pharmacokinetic model suggests current adult exposure in Ireland to PFOS is below EFSA?s provisional TWI. In contrast, the model predicts that the maximum concentration detected in human milk in this study, implies a level of adult exposure that would exceed EFSA?s provisional TWI for PFOA. Given that the health effects of PFASs other than PFOS and PFOA are currently under review by EFSA and that this study found non-dietary exposure of children to PFBS exceeds that of the other PFASs targeted in this study, it is recommended that as well as continuing to measure PFOS and PFOA, future research should also monitor exposure to other PFASs such as PFBS, as well as PFHxS and PFNA that were detected in human milk.

Go back to top of page Top

Go back to top of page Top

Please Read Carefully Before Downloading

It is important for the EPA and the Environmental Research Community to know that the data and information products we distribute are useful to the user community we support. One way of doing this is by tracking the use of data and information in publications. Parts of or all of the datasets, data, or digital information products available here can be freely downloaded for further use in scientific applications under the condition that the source will be properly quoted in published papers, journals, websites, presentations, books, etc. Whenever possible the EPA strongly urge you to cite the use of these data, information, and web resources in the reference section of your publications. For convenience an automatically generated citation is available below which can be used immediately for citation purposes.

EPA SAFER Data Download Disclaimer: Before downloading any of the data or information objects below you are kindly asked to read the data download disclaimer Read Disclaimer (Opens in New Window). Downloading data or information objects from SAFER-Data indicates an acceptance of the data download disclaimer and the conditions outlined within it.

Suggested Citation Information

The information supplied in the table below should be provided with all citations to this electronic resource. You are requested to format each of the fields below as required by the specific bibliographical style you are using.

An example of this citation in proper usage:

Harrad, S.   "Elucidating Levels and Pathways of Human Exposure in Ireland to POP-BFRs and PFOS (ELEVATE)". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=0f10c12c-e461-11e9-b5b4-005056ae0019 (Last Accessed: 2024-12-14)

Permalink

Go back to top of page Top

SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=3184
Resource Keywords	Persistent organic pollutants; Indoor air; indoor dust; drinking water, human breast milk
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2015-HW-MS-4
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Environment and Health
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	No restrictions
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	7
Project Start Date	Tuesday 1st March 2016 (01-03-2016)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Saturday 1st October 2016 (01-10-2016)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Monday 1st July 2019 (01-07-2019)
Published on SAFER	Tuesday 1st October 2019 (01-10-2019)
Date of Last Edit	Tuesday 1st October 2019 at 17:59:39 (01-10-2019)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Tuesday 1st October 2019 at 17:59:39 (01-10-2019)

Go back to top of page Top

Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset
The data are concentrations of contaminants found in samples taken from Counties Dublin, Galway, and Limerick.

Go back to top of page Top

In this section some supplementary information about this resource is outlined. Lineage information helps us to understand why this project was carried out, what policy or research requirements did it fulfil, etc. Lineage is important in understanding the rationale behind the carrying out of a project or the collection of a specific dataset etc. Links to web sites, applications, papers, etc are outlined to provide you with additional information or supplementary reading about the project or dataset

Any links supplied by the resource owner are stored such that they will open in a new window. Following such a link may lead to a 3rd party website over which EPA has no control in regards to contents or suitability.

Go back to top of page Top

The following is a list of similiar projects and resources on SAFER. Usually these resources share a similiar thematic area to the resource Elucidating Levels and Pathways of Human Exposure in Ireland to POP-BFRs and PFOS (ELEVATE) you are currently viewing. You can view the full description for these projects and resources by using the links supplied.

• Nanotechnology: public engagement with health, environmental and social issues View Full Metadata Description
• Establishing Rigorous methods for definition and monitoring of relatively quiet areas View Full Metadata Description
• Inventory and tracking of dangerous substances used in Ireland and development of measures to reduce their emissions/losses to the environment View Full Metadata Description
• Understanding the Links between the Environment, Human Health and Well-Being View Full Metadata Description
• The implementation of a Characterisation Study on UWW discharges and the development of an E-Reporting tool for estimating PRTR pollutants. View Full Metadata Description

Go back to top of page Top