| Abstract
| - In P.R. China, electronic waste (e-waste) from across theworld is dismantled and discarded. Concentrations ofpolybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinatedbiphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) weremeasured in serum from residents of an e-wastedismantling region (Guiyu, South China), where 80% offamilies work in e-waste recycling, and compared to amatching cohort from a nearby region where the fishingindustry dominates (Haojiang). Serum concentrations of PBDEsand OCPs, but not PCBs, were significantly different inthe two regions: the median ΣPBDE concentration was 3times higher in Guiyu than Haojiang, whereas the oppositewas true for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). PBDEstypically accounted for 46% of the total organohalogenchemicals in samples from Guiyu, but 8.7% in Haojiang. Themedian BDE-209 concentration in Guiyu was 50−200times higher than previously reported in occupationallyexposed populations. The highest BDE-209 concentrationwas 3100 ng/g lipid, the highest yet reported in humans. SerumPBDE concentrations did not correlate with PCBs orOCPs, whereas PCBs and OCPs showed positive correlations,suggesting that sources of PBDEs to humans are differentfrom PCBs and OCPs. The levels of PBDEs in individualsfrom Haojiang are possibly related to the recycling activityat Guiyu, through atmospheric transport.
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