Dechlorane plus and other flame retardants in a sediment core from Lake Ontario.
Our previous research on atmospheric samples suggested that Lake Ontario might receive significant amounts of Dechlorane Plus (DP), a highly chlorinated flame retardant, from the atmosphere and from inputs from DP's manufacturing facility in Niagara Falls, New York. To confirm this suspicion, a sediment core from the central basin of Lake Ontario was analyzed for the two isomers of DP, for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and for 1,2-bis-(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (TBE). The results showed that the concentration of DP in sediment increased rapidly starting in the mid-1970s and reached its peak concentration (310 ng g(-1) dry weight) in the mid-1990s. The peak flux and total inventory of DP were estimated to be 9.3 ng cm(-2) yr(-1) and 120 ng cm(-2), respectively. These values suggest that the total burden of DP in Lake Ontario is approximately 20 tons and that the maximum load rate was approximately 2 tons per year. The highest concentrations of PBDEs and TBE were found in the surficial sediment, with average concentrations of 2.8, 14, and 6.7 ng g(-1) d.w. for PBDE(3-7) (tri-through hepta-BDEs), BDE-209, and TBE, respectively. The surface fluxes were 0.08, 0.43, and 0.20 ng cm(-2) yr(-1), and the inventories were 0.87, 3.9, and 1.8 ng cm(-2) for PBDE3-7, BDE-209, and TBE, respectively. The concentration of DP in Lake Ontario sediment exceeds that of the brominated flame retardants combined.
Qiu
Xinghua
X
School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
Marvin
Chris H
CH
Hites
Ronald A
RA
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001969:Bromobenzenes / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005843:Geography; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D009518:New York; D009864:Ontario; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D001969:Bromobenzenes; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010647:Phenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C081014:1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane; C086401:pentabromodiphenyl ether