Levels of Dechlorane Plus and related compounds in food samples. Estimation of daily intake.

Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a flame retardant additive used in polymeric systems such as electrical hard plastic connectors in televisions and computer monitors, wire coatings and furniture1 . The existence of DP in the environment was first detected in air, fish and sediment samples from the Great Lakes in 20062 . Since then, many studies have been performed in order to determine the environmental behavior and presence of this compound and its main relatives: Dechlorane 602 (Dec 602), Dechlorane 603 (Dec 603) and Dechlorane 604 (Dec 604). These compounds have shown similar properties to other persistent organic pollutants, such as long-range transport potential, bioaccumulation, biomagnification and low degradation rate. There are still few studies on the toxicity of DP and related compounds, but it has been demonstrated their influence in oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in terrestrial animals as well as toxicity to aquatic animals3,4 . DP and its analogues have been mainly studied in environmental matrices such as water, air, soil and biota with monitoring purposes, but the dietary exposure to these chemicals has been hardly investigated5-7 . In this study, samples of fish, meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, vegetable oil, vegetables, cereals, legumes and fruits have been analyzed and the daily intake of DP has been estimated based on these concentrations and the statistical data of daily intake of each category of food.