title: Temporal trend (1988-2008) of hexabromocyclododecane enantiomers in herring gull eggs from the German coastal region.
abstract: Levels of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were determined in pooled eggs from herring gulls (Larus argentatus) sampled on three bird sanctuaries near the German North Sea coast between 1988 and 2008 (Mellum and Trischen) and the German Baltic Sea coast between 1998 and 2008 (Heuwiese) and archived by the German Environmental Specimen Bank. Pressurized fluid extraction, gel permeation chromatography, and LC-MS/MS using (13)C(12)-labelled isotope standards and a chiral column were applied. α-HBCD was the dominating diastereomer and ranged between 3.7 and 107 ng g(-1)lw while β- and γ-HBCD were throughout close to LOQ. The highest α-HBCD concentration was found in eggs from Mellum sampled in the year 2000. Interestingly, HBCD in eggs from the three islands displayed similar time courses with levels increasing to a peak contamination around 2000 and decreasing levels ever since. Chiral signatures of α-HBCD in eggs differed among the islands but indicated a preferential enrichment of the first eluting enantiomer (-)-α-HBCD.
authors.affiliation: BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard-Willstätter-Strasse 11, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esslinger
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schröter-Kermani
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bremser
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nehls
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000378:metabolism; D005858:Germany; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; C089796:hexabromocyclododecane