Occurrence of brominated flame retardants other than polybrominated diphenyl ethers in environmental and biota samples from southern China.
The concentrations of three currently used non-polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) brominated flame retardants (BFRs), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and tetrabromobisphenol A bis (2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-DBPE), were examined in environmental and biota samples collected from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and an electronic waste (e-waste) area in southern China. We also examined deca-BDE (decabromodiphenyl ether) and nine tri- through hepta-BDE congeners for comparison. The results indicate that these non-PBDE BFRs occur widely in the environment of the two study areas. We found a noticeable increase in the levels of TBBPA-DBPE and DBDPE in recent sediments, the concentrations of which even exceed those of BDE209 (deca-BDE) in some samples from the PRD. The BFR profiles of the two study areas are distinct. Relatively high proportions of DBDPE and TBBPA-DBPE were found in the PRD environment, whereas the levels of discontinued BFRs (penta-BDEs and BDE183) and BTBPE were higher in the e-waste area. Our results suggest that the industrial activities in the PRD and the recycling of e-waste have introduced distinct types of BFR contamination to the ambient environment and deca-BDE product has been partly replaced by the TBBPA-DBPE and DBDPE in the PRD. Furthermore, BTBPE and DBDPE were detected in bird tissues and BTBPE in the fish tissues collected from the e-waste area. This is the first report of the occurrence of TBBPA-DBPE in environmental samples worldwide. More studies are needed for reaching a better understanding of the behavior, bioaccumulation, and toxicology of these increasingly used BFRs in the environment.
Shi
Tian
T
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Chen
She-Jun
SJ
Luo
Xiao-Jun
XJ
Zhang
Xiu-Lan
XL
Tang
Cai-Ming
CM
Luo
Yong
Y
Ma
Yun-Juan
YJ
Wu
Jiang-Ping
JP
Peng
Xian-Zhi
XZ
Mai
Bi-Xian
BX
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005399:Fishes; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D007220:Industrial Waste