title: Environmental pollution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers from industrial plants in China: a preliminary investigation.
abstract: Although numerous studies have shown the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in various environmental media, attention to their distribution in the environmental media surrounding industrial facilities is limited. In this study, eight PBDEs congeners (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, -183, -209) were investigated in surface soils and water samples collected from commercial PBDE manufacturers, flame-retardant plastic modification plants and waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling facilities in China. Analysis of target compounds was performed using the model NCI GC-MS in SIM mode. The concentrations of ∑8PBDEs varied from 193.1 to 22,004.3 ng/L in water samples and from 1209.3 to 226,906 ng/g dry wt in surface soils, respectively. More severe PBDE contamination, when compared with previously reported data, was found in industrial areas in this study. This indicates that these industrial areas are highly polluted with PBDEs. BDE-209 was the predominant congener, accounting for more than 94% in this study, except for a 68.75% portion at one site. Our results show that PBDE manufacturing and flame-retardant plastic modification plants, easily overlooked by the public, are two primary PBDE pollution sources although they affect surrounding areas. Further research is needed, aimed at managing industrial PBDE emissions and eliminating environmental PBDE pollution, to investigate the material flows and environmental fates of PBDEs in all stages of the life cycle.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.|College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.|Engineering Division, Campus of Guanajuato, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, 36000, Mexico.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. jinhui@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. lum0610@gmail.com.|School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan, 030051, China. lum0610@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Huafen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D007220:Industrial Waste; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D012987:Soil; C533760:tribromodiphenyl ether 28; C010902:decabromobiphenyl ether
keywords: Cooling water; Industrial plant; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Soil; Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling; Wastewater