Is BDE-175 an important enough component of commercial octabromodiphenyl ether mixtures to be listed in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention?
Commercial octabromodiphenyl ether mixtures, containing hexabromodiphenyl ethers and heptabromodiphenyl ethers were listed in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on May 2009 (Fourth Conference of the Parties) (UNEP, 2009a). Four compounds are specifically mentioned: 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153), 2,2',4,4',5,6'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-154), 2,2',3,3',4,5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-175), and 2,2',3,4,4',5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-183). Presumably they were identified as key components of commercial mixtures and found to be present in environmental samples. However, since BDE-175 and BDE-183 co-elute on common HRGC columns, the presence of BDE-175 as an important component in technical octa-BDE mixtures has not been illustrated. The successful HRGC/LRMS separation of a 1:1 mixture of BDE-175 and BDE-183, as well as (1)H NMR analysis of technical material, has allowed us to confirm that this congener is not present in technical products (e.g. Great Lakes DE-79™) in quantifiable amounts.
Wellington Laboratories Inc., Research Division, 345 Southgate Drive, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 3M5. alex@well-labs.com
Alexandre
A
Konstantinov
Brock
B
Chittim
David
D
Potter
Jeffery
J
Klein
Nicole
N
Riddell
Robert
R
McCrindle
D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; C517828:hexabrominated diphenyl ether 153; C483839:2,2',3,4,4',5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether; C555859:2,2',4,4',5,6'-hexabromodiphenyl ether