title: Tribromophenoxy flame retardants in the Great Lakes atmosphere.
abstract: The 2,4,6-tribromophenoxy moiety is a common structural feature of several brominated flame retardants, and we have previously reported on the environmental concentrations of one such compound, 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (TBE). Here we report the atmospheric concentrations of TBE and three other tribromophenoxy compounds: allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE), 2-bromoallyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (BATE), and 2,3-dibromopropyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE). The samples were collected at five sites near the shores of the Great Lakes during the period 2008-2009, inclusive. Of these four compounds, TBE and ATE are currently used as flame retardants, and DPTE was formerly used as a flame retardant until its production ceased in the mid-1980s. The total concentrations of ATE, BATE, and DPTE were ∼2 pg/m³ in the cities of Chicago and Cleveland and 0.1-0.4 pg/m³ at the rural and remote sites. The concentrations of TBE were ∼1 pg/m³ in these cities and 0.2-0.8 pg/m³ at the rural and remote sites. In both cases, this was a very significant urban effect. The concentrations of ATE, BATE, and DPTE did not change significantly over the two-year study, but the concentrations of TBE decreased by about a factor of 2 during this time. This temporal change was statistically significant but not strong compared to the urban effect.
authors.affiliation: School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Yuning
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venier
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hites
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D001969:Bromobenzenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D006114:Great Lakes Region; D006801:Humans; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C547124:2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether; D000393:Air Pollutants; D001969:Bromobenzenes; D005411:Flame Retardants; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; D010647:Phenyl Ethers; C000610085:allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether; C081014:1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane; C032036:bromobenzene