title: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and alternative brominated flame retardants in air and seawater of the European Arctic.
abstract: The spatial distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and several alternative non-PBDE, non-regulated brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in air and seawater and the air-seawater exchange was investigated in East Greenland Sea using high-volume air and water samples. Total PBDE concentrations (Ó₁₀PBDEs) ranged from 0.09 to 1.8 pg m⁻³ in the atmosphere and from 0.03 to 0.64 pg L⁻¹ in seawater. Two alternative BFRs, Hexabromobenzene (HBB) and 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE), showed similar concentrations and spatial trends as PBDEs. The air-seawater gas exchange was dominated by deposition with fluxes up to -492 and -1044 pg m⁻² day⁻¹ for BDE-47 and DPTE, respectively. This study shows the first occurrence of HBB, DPTE and other alternative flame retardants (e.g., pentabromotoluene (PBT)) in the Arctic atmosphere and seawater indicating that they have a similar long-range atmospheric transport potential (LRAT) as the banned PBDEs.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, Institute of Coastal Research, Department for Environmental Chemistry, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany. axel.moeller@hzg.de
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ebinghaus
mesh_terms: D000392:Air Movements; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001110:Arctic Regions; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D017605:Bromine Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D001969:Bromobenzenes / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014050:Toluene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: C547124:2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether; D000393:Air Pollutants; D017605:Bromine Compounds; D001969:Bromobenzenes; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; D052638:Particulate Matter; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014050:Toluene; C053745:2,3,4,5,6-pentabromotoluene; C017363:hexabromobenzene