Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in aborted human fetuses and placental transfer during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Data on early human fetal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is limited. However, early pregnancy, in particular the first trimester, is critical for fetal development. We investigated exposure to PBDEs and placental transfer during early pregnancy by analyzing PBDEs in paired aborted fetuses (n = 65), placentas (n = 65), and maternal blood samples (n = 31) at 10–13 weeks gestation, which were collected in a hospital near electronic wastes (e-wastes) recycling sites in Taizhou, China. Mean total PBDE (∑PBDE) concentrations were 4.46, 7.90, and 15.7 ng/g of lipid weight (lw) in the fetuses, placentas, and blood, respectively. The three matrices had roughly similar PBDE congener profiles, dominated by BDE-209, BDE-197, BDE-153, BDE-47, and BDE-28. Significant correlations were found between ∑PBDE concentrations in the paired matrices. Comparing the concentration ratios between the paired samples, we observed significantly higher fetus/blood and fetus/placenta ratios for BDE-28, BDE-99, and B...