title: Migration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in biosolids-amended soil.
abstract: A field investigation was carried out to determine PBDE concentrations over a one-year period in agricultural soils onto which 80 tonnes biosolids/hectare had been applied. The PBDE concentrations increased from 80 to 300 pg/g dry weight basis to 300 × 10(3)-600 × 10(3) pg/g dw due to biosolids application, and PBDEs migrated downwards to depths of at least 0.85 m. Concentrations decreased non-uniformly with depth. PBDE levels decreased exponentially in the topmost biosolids-amended soils layer, while increasing in the next underlying soil layer over the one-year period. The rate of decrease of total PBDE mass in the top 0.00-0.05 m layer was almost two orders of magnitude greater than the rates of increase in total PBDE mass in the lower layers, indicating that effects such as photodegradation and/or volatilization likely were to have been significant in the surface layer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2002-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z4.
authors.forename: Tamer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gorgy
authors.forename: Loretta Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ikonomou
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid
chemical_list: D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants