Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in China: Sources, Trends, and Their Adverse Impacts on Human Health - Environmental Contamination: Health Risks and Ecological Restoration - page 135

concentrations. (about. 2.0-5.0.ng/g. lipid). in. central. Taiwan. had. babies.
with.lower.birth.weights.and.shorter.birth.lengths.(length.of.the.baby.at.
birth).(Chao.et.al..2007).
Zhang.et.al..conducted.an.investigation.on.the.relationship.between.BDE-
47. and. oxidative. stress. and. apoptosis. in. human. neuroblastoma. SH-SY5Y.
cells,. in. order. to. determine. the. role. of. reactive. oxygen. species. (ROS). on.
apoptosis..Results.showed.that.the.rate.of.cellular.survivors.in.the.high-dose.
PBDE-47-treated.group.was.signiicantly.higher.than.that.found.in.the.con-
trol.group;.therefore,.it.can.be.concluded.that.BDE-47.can.induce.oxidative.
stress. and. apoptosis. in. SH-SY5Y. cells.. ROS. may. play. an. important. role. in.
apoptosis.induced.by.BDE-47.(Zhang.et.al..2007).
Methoxyresorufan- o -demethylase.(MROD).was.used.to.analyze.competi-
tive. inhibition. from. BDE-47,. 77,. 85,. 119,. and. 126. to. Cytochrome. P450. 1A2,.
which.is.a.monooxidizing.enzyme.that.can.speed.up.the.metabolism.of.ions.
of.pollutants.and.carcinogenic.chemicals.in.rat.hepatocytic.microsomes..It.is.
known.that.PBDE.congeners.have.similar,.but.somewhat.lower,.inhibition.to.
Cytochrome.P450.1A2,.as.dioxins.(PCDD/Fs).(Nie.et.al..2005)..Therefore,.the.
presence.of.PBDE.congeners.may.reduce.the.human.body's.ability.to.metab-
olize.ions.of.organic.pollutants,.leading.to.a.high.accumulation.of.these.pol-
lutants.in.the.body.(Yang.et.al..2009).
Furthermore,.PBDEs.may.combine.with.aromatic.hydrocarbons.and.form.
dioxin-like.chemicals;.when.waste.materials.containing.PBDEs.are.burnt.at.
e-waste. sites,. polybrominated. dibenzo- p -dioxin. (PBDDs). and. polybromi-
nated.dibenzofuran.(PBDFs).are.produced,.which.possess.strong.acute.tox-
icity.and.pose.long-term.adverse.effects.on.human.health.(Chen.et.al..2001,.
Wang.and.Jiang.2008).
Conclusion
There.were.seven.hotspots.of.PBDEs.throughout.China.as.shown.in.Figure.7.3..
Four.of.these.hotspots.were.from.sediments.and.soil.as.follows:.(1).sediments.
from.the.mouth.of.the.Beihe.River.of.the.Bohai.Sea,.2,777.ng/g.dry.wt;.(2).sedi-
ments.of.the.Pearl.River.Estuary,.7,340.ng/g.dry.wt;.(3).sediments.from.Laizhou.
Wan,.6,189.ng/g.dry.wt;.and.(4).the.combusted.residues.at.Guiyu.e-waste.sites,.
48,600.ng/g. dry. wt.. There. was. one. hotspot. with. regard. to. air:. (5). the. air. of.
Guangzhou. and. Dongguan,. with. PBDEs. found. to. range. between. 7,859. and.
9,133.pg/m..There.were.several.biota.that.had.high.concentrations.of.PBDEs.(6).
dolphins,. Hong. Kong,. 6,000.ng/g. lipid;. ish,. Guangzhou. markets,. 3,850.ng/g.
lipid;.ish,.Bohai.Sea,.230.ng/g.lipid;.and.ish,.Guiyu,.2,687.ng/g.lipid..There.were.
also.high.concentrations.of.PBDEs.in.human.tissue.(7).from.Guiyu,.3,499.ng/g.
lipid,.and.from.cancer.patients.in.Zhejiang.Province,.72,964.ng/g.lipid.