Time-trend (1973–2000) of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Japanese mother’s milk

The time-trend and recent concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Japanese mother’s milk were investigated. The time-trend of 16 PBDEs (BDE-28, 37, 47, 66, 71, 75, 77, 85, 99, 100, 119, 153, 154, 138, 183, and 190) in pooled milk samples from mothers living in Osaka between 1973 and 2000 was analyzed. Additionally, PBDE concentrations in individual milk samples collected from 13 mothers living in Kanagawa and Okayama in 1999 were measured. The total concentration of all PBDE congeners (∑PBDEs) measured in the pooled samples increased during the period between 1973 (<0.01 ng/g lipid) and 1988 (1.64 ng/g lipid), and remained low afterwards while showing remarkable changes in PBDE congener profiles. The ∑PBDEs in the 1999 individual milk samples were also low (0.56–3.97 ng/g lipid), except for a single sample (291 ng/g lipid). The source of this exposure could not be identified.