Special Distribution of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Brain Tissues of Free-range Domestic Hens and Ducks from a Village near an Electronic Waste Recycling Site in South China

The rural village, Taizhou of Zhejiang Province, had been exposed to e-waste recycling for years, the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) levels in hens and ducks were high. The concentration of ∑PBDEs in the brain was the lowest among tissues of individual hens and ducks after correction for the respective lipid content. Also, the concentration ratio of BDE-153 versus BDE-154 (153/154) of brain was the highest among tissues of individual hens and ducks. Our results indicate that the hindrance of blood–brain barrier to compounds, such as high molecular weight and non-planar conformation (steric hindrance), contributed to the low concentration of PBDEs in the brain tissue of hens and ducks, especially in cases exposed to high levels of PBDE.