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Rawn et al. J Environ Expo Assess 2024;3:16 Journal of Environmental
DOI: 10.20517/jeea.2024.04
Exposure Assessment

Research Article Open Access

Legacy halogenated flame retardants in Canadian
human milk from the maternal-infant research on

environmental chemicals study

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1,2
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Dorothea F.K. Rawn , Amy R. Sadler , Valerie A. Casey , François Breton , Wing-Fung Sun , Sherry Yu
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Feng , Tye E. Arbuckle 3
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Food Research Division, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Sir Frederick Banting
Research Centre, Ottawa K1A 0K9, Ontario, Canada.
2
Generic Drugs Division, Bureau of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa K1A
0K9, Ontario, Canada.
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Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Healthy
Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa K1A 0K9, Ontario, Canada.
Correspondence to: Dr. Dorothea F.K. Rawn, Food Research Division, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Health Products and Food
Branch, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, 2203C, Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa K1A 0K9, Ontario, Canada. E-mail:
thea.rawn@hc-sc.gc.ca
How to cite this article: Rawn DFK, Sadler AR, Casey VA, Breton F, Sun WF, Feng SY, Arbuckle TE. Legacy halogenated flame
retardants in Canadian human milk from the maternal-infant research on environmental chemicals study. J Environ Expo Assess
2024;3:16. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/jeea.2024.04
Received: 25 Jan 2024 First Decision: 17 Apr 2024 Revised: 27 May 2024 Accepted: 31 May 2024 Published: 1 Jul 2024

Academic Editors: Stuart Harrad, Jose L Domingo Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun Wang

Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were measured in 298 human
milk samples collected from across Canada between 2008 and 2011 as part of the Maternal-Infant Research on
Environmental Chemicals study. PBDEs were detected in 100% of the samples analyzed and concentrations ranged
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from 0.071 to 267 ng·g lipid (median 15.6 ng·g lipid). The dominant contributors to ΣPBDEs (Σ15, 17, 28, 37, 47,
66, 71, 75, 77, 85, 99, 100, 119, 138, 153, 154, 160, 183, 190, 209) were PBDE 47 > PBDE 153 > PBDE 99 > PBDE 100
> PBDE 28 > PBDE 209. Previously, PBDE 209 was considered to be a minor contributor to ΣPBDE concentrations
in Canadian human milk and, therefore, not reported by our lab. This study showed that when present, PBDE 209
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can be an important contributor to ΣPBDEs (range: below detection - 85.3 ng·g lipid; median - 0.083 ng·g lipid).
ΣPBDE concentrations declined slightly in Canadian human milk between the early and late 2000s. HBCD (Σ of α-,
β-, and γ-) was observed in 94.0% of the samples measured and concentrations were dominated by α-HBCD
(93.3%), with β- (9.7%) and γ- (28.5%) less frequently detected. The maximum ΣHBCD concentration observed

© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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