title: Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the aquatic and terrestrial environment around a wastewater treatment plant.
abstract: The distribution and fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a riparian ecosystem nearby a wastewater treatment plant effluent were investigated. Different aqueous and terrestrial samples such as soil, sediment, plants, and invertebrates were collected and analyzed for tri- to heptabrominated PBDEs. Furthermore, the food web structure was elucidated using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. The highest PBDE levels were found for sediment- and soil-dwelling invertebrates, such as earthworms (Σ13 PBDEs 144 ng/g lipid weight), Tubifex tubifex (77 ng/g lw), and scarab larvae (49 ng/g lw). Differences in congener composition profiles among the different matrices show that the environmental distribution and fate of PBDEs in ecosystems can be very complex. Among the analyzed PBDEs in this ecosystem, the tetra-brominated BDE-47 was the dominant PBDE congener and followed by the penta-brominated BDE-99. A potential trend of increasing BDE-47/99 ratio with the increase of δ(15)N was observed for species with similar energy sources (δ(13)C), indicating a higher bioaccumulation potential for BDE-47 in this ecosystem. A significant correlation was also found between PBDEs and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), indicating similar sources and fate between the two compound groups in this area. The biota-soil or biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) were somewhat different among the PBDE congeners and species, but were generally highest for those with log Kow values around 6.5-7.
authors.affiliation: MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. thanh.wang@oru.se.|State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. thanh.wang@oru.se.
authors.forename: Thanh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Junchao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D020387:Food Chain; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D009835:Oligochaeta; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D062065:Wastewater; C477694:2,2',4,4',5-brominated diphenyl ether; C511295:2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biota; PBDEs; Plant; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Riparian; Sediment; Soil