The most commonly consumed shellfish species produced in Scotland - mussels, oysters and scallops - were investigated for the occurrence of a range of brominated and chlorinated contaminants in order to establish current levels and estimate human dietary exposure. Flesh from individual sub-samples was representatively pooled and 35 composites were analysed for brominated and chlorinated dioxins (PBDD/Fs, PCDD/Fs), brominated and chlorinated biphenyls (PBBs, PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). The analytical methodology used (13)C(12) labelled surrogates of the target compounds, with GC coupled to (usually) high resolution MS, and LC-MS/MS for HBCD and TBBPA analysis. Positive identifications were made in the majority of samples for most analytes with the exception of TBBPA and most PBDD congeners measured. None of the levels detected for PCDD/F and PCB were above the maximum permitted levels specified in European Union regulations. The levels of brominated furans predominated over brominated dioxins, reflecting the environmental distribution and source emission profiles of these contaminants, and relatively high levels of the tri-brominated congeners were observed. Levels of the flame retardant chemicals reflected current and legacy use, with appreciable concentrations of PBDEs and HBCDs (predominantly alpha-HBCD) but far lower levels of PBBs. TBBPA was not detected in any of the species. In general, mussels and oysters displayed relatively higher levels of contamination than scallops, although the gonad tissue of the latter showed significant levels of brominated dioxins. The estimated adult dietary intakes of PCDD/Fs and PCBs arising from the consumption of a typical portion of these foods in combination with an otherwise average UK diet were in the range 0.5-0.6 pg World Health Organisation (WHO)-toxic equivalent (TEQ)(2005)/kg bodyweight per day. These estimated dietary intakes are well within the Tolerable Daily Intake for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs of 2 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)/kg bodyweight/day endorsed by the independent expert Committee on Toxicology of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The corresponding intakes for sumPBDEs and sumHBCDs were 5.6-6.1 and 5.9-7.9 ng/kg bodyweight/day respectively.

The levels of the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) hexabromocyclododecane (alpha, beta and gammaHBCD diastereoisomers) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) have been determined in two studies using LC-MS/MS. The methodology developed was validated in-house and used to analyse UK 2004 Total Diet Study (TDS) samples and shellfish (oysters, mussels and scallops) collected from Scotland. HBCD was detected in most samples; in both studies the alphaHBCD diastereoisomer was generally the most abundant as opposed to the gamma diastereoisomer that tends to dominate in environmental samples and manufactured products. It is reported that selective metabolism or biotransformation of the beta and gamma diastereoisomers may be taking place. TBBPA was not detected in any samples above the limit of detection, which was as low as 0.05 microg kg(-1). This may be because TBBPA, unlike HBCD, is chemically bound to the polymer matrix during manufacture and not readily leached. The UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) concluded that the concentrations of HBCD and TBBPA detected in the TDS study did not raise toxicological concerns and, as levels in the shellfish samples were in a similar concentration range, it was concluded that exposure to the BFRs measured is not significant when compared to exposure from the rest of the diet.

Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) is an epoxide that is used as a starting substance in the manufacture of can coatings for food-contact applications. Following migration from the can coating into food, BADGE levels decay and new reaction products are formed by reaction with food ingredients. The significant decay of BADGE was demonstrated by liquid chromatographic (LC) analysis of foodstuffs, that is, tuna, apple puree, and beer, spiked with BADGE before processing and storage. Life-science inspired analytical approaches were successfully applied to study the reactions of BADGE with food ingredients, for example, amino acids and sugars. An improved mass balance of BADGE was achieved by selective detection of reaction products of BADGE with low molecular weight food components, using a successful combination of stable isotopes of BADGE and analysis by LC coupled to fluorescence detection (FLD) and high-resolution mass spectrometric (MS) detection. Furthermore, proteomics approaches showed that BADGE also reacts with peptides (from protein digests in model systems) and with proteins in foods. The predominant reaction center for amino acids, peptides, and proteins was cysteine.

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Phthalates are ubiquitous in the environment and thus exposure to these compounds can occur in various forms. Foods are one source of such exposure. There are only a limited number of studies that describe the levels of phthalates (diesters, monoesters and phthalic acid) in foods and assess the exposure from this source. In this study the levels of selected phthalate diesters, phthalate monoesters and phthalic acid in total diet study (TDS) samples are determined and the resulting exposure estimated. The methodology for the determination of phthalic acid and nine phthalate monoesters (mono-isopropyl phthalate, mono-n-butyl phthalate, mono-isobutyl phthalate, mono-benzyl phthalate, mono-cyclohexyl phthalate, mono-n-pentyl phthalate, mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, mono-n-octyl phthalate and mono-isononyl phthalate) in foods is described. In this method phthalate monoesters and phthalic acid are extracted from the foodstuffs with a mixture of acidified acetonitrile and dichloromethane. The method uses isotope-labelled phthalic acid and phthalate monoester internal standards and is appropriate for quantitative determination in the concentration range of 5-100 µg kg⁻¹. The method was validated in-house and its broad applicability demonstrated by the analysis of high-fat, high-carbohydrate and high-protein foodstuffs as well as combinations of all three major food constituents. The methodology used for 15 major phthalate diesters has been reported elsewhere. Phthalic acid was the most prevalent phthalate, being detected in 17 food groups. The highest concentration measured was di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in fish (789 µg kg⁻¹). Low levels of mono-n-butyl phthalate and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were detected in several of the TDS animal-based food groups and the highest concentrations measured corresponded with the most abundant diesters (di-n-butyl phthalate and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate). The UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) considered the levels found and concluded that they did not indicate a risk to human health from dietary exposure alone.