Blood partitioning and whole-blood-based maternal transfer assessment of chlorinated paraffins in mother-infant pairs from South China

As a new group of persistent organic pollutants of concern, chlorinated paraffins (CPs) have been widely detected in the environment and biota, but their occurrence, partitioning, and transfer in humans have been not well documented. In this study, 32 pairs of maternal blood, cord blood, and placenta samples were collected from pregnant women in South China, and the blood was further separated into plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) for blood partitioning study. Short- and medium-chain CPs (SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively) were detected in all the five human biological matrices, suggesting prevalent exposure and maternal transfer of CPs in the pregnant women. Discrepant congener group profiles of CPs were observed in different human biological matrices. Significant differences in the plasma-RBC partitioning of CPs in the maternal and cord bloods were identified (p