Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers in paired breast milk and indoor dust: A pilot prospective study

Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers (FLCMs), one class of emerging persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) compounds, are widely used in liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). As a result, they have been found in the environment and serum from occupational workers. However, little is known about their occurrence in non-occupational exposing populations. Herein, we provided an evaluation of the health risks of FLCMs for infants based on breastfeeding exposure and dust ingestion. The detection frequencies (DF) of FLCMs in indoor dust and breast milk was 100 %, with median concentrations of 12.00 ng/g dry weight (dw) and 133.40 ng/g lipid weight (lw), respectively. 1-butoxy-2,3-difluoro-4-(trans-4-propylcyclohexyl)benzene (BDPrB) was the predominant pollutant in indoor dust and human breast milk. Significant positive correlations were observed between the dust concentrations of seven FLCMs including BDPrB, and their breast milk concentrations (r = 0.275–0.660, P