title: The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in western Taiwan and coastal waters: evaluation with a fugacity-based model.
abstract: The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of flame retardants that are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs), around the Zhuoshui River and Changhua County regions of Taiwan was assessed. An investigation into emissions, partitioning, and fate of selected PBDEs was conducted based on the equilibrium constant (EQC) fugacity model developed at Trent University, Canada. Emissions for congeners PBDE 47, PBDE 99, and PBDE 209 to air (4.9-92 × 10(-3) kg/h), soil (0.91-17.4 × 10(-3) kg/h), and water (0.21-4.04 × 10(-3) kg/h), were estimated by modifying previous models on PBDE emission rates by considering both industrial and domestic rates. It was found that fugacity modeling can give a reasonable estimation of the behavior, partitioning, and concentrations of PBDE congeners in and around Taiwan. Results indicate that PBDE congeners have a high affinity for partitioning into sediments then soils. As congener number decreases, the PBDEs then partition more readily into air. As the degree of bromination increases, congeners more readily partition to sediments. Sediments may then act as a long-term source of PBDEs which can be released back into the water column due to resuspension during storm events.
authors.affiliation: School of Planning Architecture and Civil Engineering, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 5AG, UK.
authors.forename: Kieran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Driscoll
authors.affiliation: School of Planning Architecture and Civil Engineering, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 5AG, UK.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Son
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yang-Yih
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ruey-Chy
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: School of Planning Architecture and Civil Engineering, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 5AG, UK. r.doherty@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rory
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7583-0592
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Doherty
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012987:Soil; D013624:Taiwan; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D012987:Soil; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C511295:2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether; C086401:pentabromodiphenyl ether; C010902:decabromobiphenyl ether
keywords: Coastal waters; Fugacity modeling; Industrial emissions; Persistent organic pollutants (POPs); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Taiwan