The behavior and toxicological effects of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) in a soil-earthworm system.
Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) is easily absorbed by soil particles but barely degraded over time. Its potential ecological risk has received extensive attention. Here we supplemented natural soil with three different levels of BDE209 (1, 10 and 100 mg kg(-1) dry weight (i.e., dw)) to focus on the behavior and toxicological effects of BDE209 in a soil-earthworm system. Results demonstrated that earthworms accumulated BDE209 quickly, followed by biphasic elimination. The uptake rate constant (ku) values ranged from 0.156 to 0.232 mg soil kg(-1)worm d(-1), while the depuration rate (kd) values ranged from 0.228 to 0.239 d(-1). Biota-soil accumulation factor (BSAF) was also calculated in the present study, and the BSAF values for BDE209 ranged from 0.074 to 0.123. Throughout 28-d exposure, the concentrations of BDE209 among soil, worm casts and earthworms reached steady-state equilibrium. BDE209 content in worm casts might be a good indicator of actual concentration in soil. Neutral red retention time (NRRT) was also conducted to assess the lysosomal membrane stability, and it declined during the uptake phase when BDE209 gradually accumulated in earthworms, indicating a good dose-response relationship. These observations provide new insights into the potential ecological effects of BDE209 in a model soil-earthworm system.
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, Shanghai 200237, China; School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China. Electronic address: wzhang@ecust.edu.cn.
Wei
W
Zhang
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, Shanghai 200237, China; School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
Jing
J
Li
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, Shanghai 200237, China; School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
Kou
K
Liu
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, Shanghai 200237, China; School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
Kuangfei
K
Lin
D000818:Animals; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009835:Oligochaeta; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C010902:decabromobiphenyl ether
BDE209; Earthworm; Kinetic rate constant; Lysosomal stability; Soil–earthworm system