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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 May 15.
Published in final edited form as: Environ Sci Technol. 2024 May 3;58(19):8417–8431. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09342

Table 6.

PBDEs average of geometric mean (GM) serum concentrations (ng/g lipid) by industry (2015-2017).

Analyte Industry N % > LOD* GM (ng/g lipid) (GSD) Median (ng/g lipid) Multiple Comparisons of Industries
BDE-28 Overall 91 90.1 0.46 (2.20) 0.43
Electronic Scrap 18 94.4 0.81 (2.23) 0.85
Roofing 10 100.0 0.53 (2.39) 0.57
Gymnastics 9 88.9 0.47 (2.00) 0.49
Nail Salon 8 100.0 0.43 (1.63) 0.44
Spray Poly. 24 87.5 0.41 (2.11) 0.35
Chemical Mfg. 10 90.0 0.39 (1.55) 0.41
Foam Mfg. 9 77.8 0.28 (2.45) 0.24 E – F
Rigid Board 3 66.7 0.17 (1.28) 0.17 E – B
NHANES 1637 89.1 0.74

BDE-47 Overall 91 100.0 7.71 (2.66) 7.20
Electronic Scrap 18 100.0 12.25 (2.72) 13.05
Gymnastics 9 100.0 11.24 (2.18) 13.31
Roofing 10 100.0 10.20 (2.50) 10.05
Spray Poly. 24 100.0 7.26 (2.80) 6.36
Chemical Mfg. 10 100.0 6.64 (1.88) 8.25
Nail Salon 8 100.0 5.84 (1.73) 6.25
Foam Mfg. 9 100.0 4.20 (3.25) 2.40
Rigid Board 3 100.0 2.11 (1.40) 2.51
NHANES 1637 100.0 12.99

BDE-85 Overall 91 47.3 0.22 (1.91) 0.19
Gymnastics 9 77.8 0.36 (1.88) 0.43
Electronic Scrap 18 61.1 0.25 (2.38) 0.21
Roofing 10 40.0 0.24 (1.54) 0.24
Spray Poly. 24 37.5 0.23 (1.90) 0.19
Chemical Mfg. 10 90.0 0.22 (1.41) 0.23
Nail Salon 8 12.5 0.15 (1.24) 0.15
Foam Mfg. 9 22.2 0.14 (1.69) 0.12
Rigid Board 3 0.0
NHANES 1637 32.8 0.17

BDE-99 Overall 91 100.0 1.53 (2.66) 1.43
Gymnastics 9 100.0 2.97 (2.32) 4.17
Electronic Scrap 18 100.0 2.15 (3.07) 1.80
Roofing 10 100.0 1.81 (2.41) 2.00
Chemical Mfg. 10 100.0 1.64 (2.09) 1.80
Spray Poly. 24 100.0 1.37 (2.48) 1.23
Nail Salon 8 100.0 1.23 (1.60) 1.13
Foam Mfg. 9 100.0 0.82 (2.68) 0.48
Rigid Board 3 100.0 0.32 (1.93) 0.34 G – B, E – B
NHANES 1637 100.0 2.45

BDE-100 Overall 91 100.0 1.70 (2.55) 1.74
Gymnastics 9 100.0 2.60 (2.08) 3.30
Electronic Scrap 18 100.0 2.13 (2.27) 2.08
Roofing 10 100.0 1.87 (2.48) 2.06
Chemical Mfg. 10 100.0 1.77 (1.98) 2.00
Spray Poly. 24 100.0 1.74 (2.96) 1.57
Nail Salon 8 100.0 1.29 (1.83) 1.48
Foam Mfg. 9 100.0 1.04 (3.56) 0.90
Rigid Board 3 100.0 0.54 (1.20) 0.58
NHANES 1637 100.0 2.61

BDE-153 Overall 91 100.0 7.22 (2.76) 6.14
Spray Poly. 24 100.0 10.47 (2.51) 8.17
Roofing 10 100.0 10.34 (2.80) 6.72
Gymnastics 9 100.0 10.33 (2.58) 9.25
Rigid Board 3 100.0 7.99 (2.07) 6.14
Chemical Mfg. 10 100.0 7.06 (3.20) 5.36
Electronic Scrap 18 100.0 5.65 (2.59) 4.94
Foam Mfg. 9 100.0 5.35 (2.67) 4.15
Nail Salon 8 100.0 2.43 (1.91) 2.11 S – N, R – N, G – N
NHANES 1637 100.0 9.73

BDE-154 Overall 91 49.5 0.21 (1.85) 0.17
Gymnastics 9 77.8 0.32 (1.84) 0.39
Electronic Scrap 18 61.1 0.24 (2.09) 0.23
Chemical Mfg. 10 90.0 0.22 (1.48) 0.22
Spray Poly. 24 33.3 0.22 (1.96) 0.17
Roofing 10 30.0 0.21 (1.47) 0.19
Foam Mfg. 9 44.4 0.16 (1.87) 0.12
Nail Salon 8 37.5 0.15 (1.34) 0.14
Rigid Board 3 0.0
NHANES 1637 51.9 0.14

BDE-183 Overall 91 51.6 0.22 (2.20) 0.17
Electronic Scrap 18 94.4 0.50 (2.44) 0.55
Foam Mfg. 9 55.6 0.24 (2.41) 0.19
Spray Poly. 24 50.0 0.22 (2.05) 0.18 E – S
Roofing 10 40.0 0.20 (1.51) 0.19 E – R
Gymnastics 9 33.3 0.15 (1.45) 0.13 E – G
Chemical Mfg. 10 40.0 0.14 (1.86) 0.10 E – C
Rigid Board 3 33.3 0.13 (1.35) 0.13 E – B
Nail Salon 8 12.5 0.13 (1.12) 0.14 E – N
NHANES 1637 15.9 0.21

BDE-209 Overall 91 95.6 1.79 (1.86) 1.73
Electronic Scrap 18 100.0 3.35 (1.89) 2.97
Gymnastics 9 100.0 1.87 (1.39) 2.00
Spray Poly. 24 87.5 1.72 (1.90) 1.61 E – S
Nail Salon 8 100.0 1.64 (1.54) 1.55 E – N
Rigid Board 3 100.0 1.57 (1.38) 1.81
Foam Mfg. 9 100.0 1.46 (1.71) 1.43 E – F
Chemical Mfg. 10 100.0 1.27 (1.47) 1.17 E – C
Roofing 10 90.0 1.14 (1.46) 1.05 E – R
NHANES 1637 98.4 1.79

Sum § Overall 91 25.65 (2.14) 21.88
Gymnastics 9 35.40 (1.76) 38.38
Electronic Scrap 18 31.54 (2.19) 32.96
Roofing 10 30.17 (2.17) 32.90
Spray Poly. 24 29.12 (2.19) 23.63
Chemical Mfg. 10 23.53 (1.91) 21.38
Foam Mfg. 9 16.65 (2.45) 14.09
Nail Salon 8 14.19 (1.54) 14.11
Rigid Board 3 14.06 (1.57) 10.90
NHANES 1637 33.59
*

Maximum limit of detection (LOD) divided by the square root of 2 in ng/g lipid for each analyte in the general population (GP): BDE-28=0.37, BDE-47=0.31, BDE-85=0.35, BDE-99=0.30, BDE-100=0.25, BDE-153=0.25, BDE-154=0.24, BDE-183=0.29, and BDE-209=0.92. The maximum LOD divided by the square root of 2 for the serum samples collected: BDE-28=0.21, BDE-85=0.38, BDE-154=0.35, BDE-183=0.23, and BDE-209=0.85. All concentration levels were detected for BDE-47, −99, −100, and −153.

Only significant differences in means of log-concentrations are listed. The abbreviations in the Multiple Comparisons are: Chemical Manufacturing (C), Electronic Scrap (E), Foam Manufacturing (F), Gymnastics (G), Nail Salon (N), Rigid Board Installation (B), Roofing (R), and Spray Polyurethane (S). If the means of log-concentrations for two industries were significantly different, the comparison of the two industries would be presented in the table. For example, “C-E” means that the mean of log-concentrations for chemical manufacturing (C) was significantly different from electronic scrap (E). Red p-values are significantly higher.

The data restricted participants aged 20 years and older are from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 2015/16: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/Nchs/Nhanes/2015-2016/BFRPOL_I.htm..

§

Summation of BDE-17, BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-66, BDE-85, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153, BDE-154, BDE-183, and BDE-209.