Environmental exposure to PBDEs and thyroid function among New York anglers

Experimental studies suggest that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can influence thyroid function, although the few human studies reported provide little support for this premise. Great Lakes sportfish anglers represent a population with potentially elevated dietary exposure to PBDEs due to the lipophilic nature of these compounds. Thirty-six licensed anglers who participated in the New York State Angler Cohort Study donated blood and completed questionnaires regarding demographic, clinical and sportfish consumption information. Archived blood specimens were analyzed for thyroid stimulating hormone, total and free thyroxine, total triiodothyronine, total serum lipids and nine PBDE congeners. PBDE congener profiles were dominated by BDE-47 (median = 7.9 ng/g lipids), BDE-153, and BDE-99 (medians = 1.8 ng/g lipids). No significant associations were observed between congeners, or their sum (ΣPBDEs), and thyroid function. However, the possibility of a positive association between ΣPBDEs and fT4, detectable with an approximate ninefold increase in sample size, suggests that additional studies are needed.