decabromodiphenyl-ethane and 1-2-bis(2-4-6-tribromophenoxy)ethane

The release of harmful chemicals in the Asian environment has recently increased dramatically due to rising industrial and agricultural activities. About 60% of the global human population is currently living on the Asian continent and may thus be exposed to a large range of different chemicals. Different classes of organohalogen chemicals have indeed been reported in various environmental compartments from Asia including humans and wildlife, but this issue has received less attention in birds. In this article, we reviewed the available literature on levels of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and various flame retardants (FRs) in Asian avifauna to analyze the existing pool of knowledge as well as to identify the gaps that should be addressed in future research. Furthermore, we discussed the variation in levels of organohalogens based on differences in regions, trophic level, dietary sources and migratory behaviors of species including distribution patterns in different tissues of birds. Although the mass of published literature is very low and even absent in many important regions of Asia, we deduced from the reported studies that levels of almost all classes of organohalogens (OHCs) including FRs were highest in East Asian countries such as Japan, China and South Korea, except for HCHs that were found at maximum levels in birds of South India. Concentrations (ng/g LW) of different OHCs in Asian birds ranged between

Topics: Animals; Asia; Birds; Bromobenzenes; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Flame Retardants; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Hexachlorobenzene; Hexachlorocyclohexane; Hydrocarbons, Brominated; Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; Polychlorinated Biphenyls

To understand human exposure to dust-associated flame retardants in the biggest metropolitan area (city of Shanghai) of East China, our study determined a suite of legacy and emerging flame retardants in dust from dwellings, cars, and university computer labs. The results exhibited a consistent dominance of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) over polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other alternative flame retardants (AFRs) regardless of microenvironments. In addition to OPFRs, some alternative flame retardants, such as decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 2-ethylhexyltetrabromobenzoate (EH-TBB), bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromobenzoate (BEH-TEBP), and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), were also frequently detected. Among them, DBDPE exhibited concentrations comparable to those of PBDEs. Comparison with international studies indicated that concentrations of ∑PBDEs (0.2-12.3 μg/g dry weight or dw) and ∑OPFRs (3.8-165.5 μg/g dw) from Shanghai dwellings (bedroom and living room) were generally in the middle of concentration ranges reported worldwide, whereas elevated DBDPE concentrations (0.1-9.5 μg/g dw) was observed compared with most other countries or regions. OPFR compositions in house dust from this study also differed from those from many other countries. This suggested inter-regional differences in market demands on the quantities and types of flame retardants. Human intake estimation suggested elevated exposure for toddlers when compared with adults, although the daily intake estimations of individual flame retardants were generally 2-4 orders of magnitude lower than the reference doses. The findings from this preliminary study developed a baseline for future evaluation of the sources and fate of emerging flame retardants and related human exposure risks in East China.

Topics: Adult; Air Pollution, Indoor; Bromobenzenes; Bromobenzoates; Child, Preschool; China; Cities; Dust; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Flame Retardants; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Humans; Organophosphates

This paper reports on the optimization, characterization, and applicability of gas chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ(MS/MS)) for the determination of 14 polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and 2 emerging brominated flame retardants, 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE) and decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), in functional food samples. The method showed satisfactory precision and linearity with instrumental limits of detection (iLODs) ranging from 0.12 to 7.1 pg, for tri- to octa-BDEs and BTBPE, and equal to 51 and 20 pg for BDE-209 and DBDPE, respectively. The highest ΣBFR concentrations were found in fish oil supplements (924 pg/g fresh weight, fw), followed by biscuits (90 pg/g fw), vegetable oil supplements (46 pg/g fw), chicken eggs (45 pg/g fw), cow's milk (7.7 pg/g fw), and soy products (1.6 pg/g fw). BDE-47, BDE-99, and DBDPE were the most abundant compounds. Foodstuffs enriched with omega-3 presented concentrations similar to or even lower than those of conventional foods commercialized in Spain since 2000.

Topics: Animals; Bromobenzenes; Chromatography, Gas; Eggs; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Fish Oils; Flame Retardants; Food Analysis; Food Contamination; Food, Fortified; Functional Food; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Halogenation; Limit of Detection; Milk; Plant Oils; Quality Control; Spain; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In this study leachate and sediment samples were collected from six municipal solid waste landfill sites across Gauteng Province in South Africa to determine the levels of 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5 tetrabromobenzoate (EH-TBB), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromo-phthalate (BEH-TEBP) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). Soxhlet as well as liquid-liquid extraction were employed for sediment and leachates respectively followed by GC-EIMS analysis. Concentrations of novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) ranged from below detection (

Topics: Benzoates; Bromobenzenes; Flame Retardants; Geologic Sediments; Hydrocarbons, Brominated; Phthalic Acids; Soil Pollutants; Solid Waste; South Africa; Waste Disposal Facilities; Water Pollutants, Chemical

The analysis of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) commonly relies on the use of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) operating in electron ionization (EI) and electron capture negative ionization (ECNI) modes using quadrupole, triple quadrupole, ion trap, and magnetic sector analyzers. However, these brominated contaminants are examples of compounds for which a soft and robust ionization technique might be favorable since they show high fragmentation in EI and low specificity in ECNI. In addition, the low limits of quantification (0.01 ng/g) required by European Commission Recommendation 2014/118/EU on the monitoring of traces of BFRs in food put stress on the use of highly sensitive techniques/methods. In this work, a new approach for the extremely sensitive determination of BFRs taking profit of the potential of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) combined with GC and triple quadrupole (QqQ) mass analyzer is proposed. The objective was to explore the potential of this approach for the BFRs determination in samples at pg/g levels, taking marine samples and a cream sample as a model. Ionization and fragmentation behavior of 14 PBDEs (congeners 28, 47, 66, 85, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, 184, 191, 196, 197, and 209) and two novel BFRs, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), in the GC-APCI-MS system has been investigated. The formation of highly abundant (quasi) molecular ion was the main advantage observed in relation to EI. Thus, a notable improvement in sensitivity and specificity was observed when using it as precursor ion in tandem MS. The improved detectability (LODs < 10 fg) achieved when using APCI compared to EI has been demonstrated, which is especially relevant for highly brominated congeners. Analysis of samples from an intercomparison exercise and samples from the marine field showed the potential of this approach for the reliable identification and quantification at very low concentration levels.

Topics: Animals; Bromobenzenes; Environmental Monitoring; Equipment Design; Fishes; Flame Retardants; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Limit of Detection; Reproducibility of Results; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), were investigated in common kingfishers (Alcedo atthis) and their prey fish from an electronic waste-recycling site in south China. Elevated BFR residues were detected in the kingfishers, with median concentrations of 8,760, 12, and 7.7 ng/g lipid weight for total PBDEs, DBDPE, and BTBPE, respectively. The calculated predator/prey biomagnification factors (BMFs) were greater than unity for most of the investigated PBDE congeners, with relatively higher values for some hexa-, hepta-, and octa-BDEs (e.g., BDEs 153, 183, 196, 197, 202, and 203). The average BMFs ranged 0.10 to 0.77 and 1.90 to 3.60 for DBDPE and BTBPE, respectively. The BMFs for BTBPE were comparable to or even greater than those for some tri- to penta-BDEs in certain predator/prey pairs, indicating potentially high environmental risks of this compound. Significantly higher concentration ratios of BDEs 202 and 207 to BDE 209 were observed in the kingfishers compared with their prey fish, and these ratios were negatively correlated with the logarithm of BDE 209 concentrations in the kingfishers. This may indicate biotransformation of BDE 209 to BDEs 202 and 207 in these birds. This is the first assessment of the biomagnification potentials of DBDPE and BTBPE in a wild piscivorous bird.

Topics: Animals; Biotransformation; Birds; Bromobenzenes; China; Electronic Waste; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Fishes; Flame Retardants; Food Chain; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) used as alternatives for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are also persistent in the environment as PBDEs. Limited information on these non-PBDE brominated flame retardants (BFRs) is available; in particular, there are only few publications on environmental pollution by these contaminants in the coastal waters of Asia. In this regard, we investigated the contamination status of HBCDs, BTBPE, and DBDPE in the coastal waters of Asia using mussels as a bioindicator. Concentrations of HBCDs, BTBPE, and DBDPE were determined in green (Perna viridis) and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) collected from the coastal areas in Cambodia, China (mainland), SAR China (Hong Kong), India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam on 2003-2008. BTBPE and DBDPE were analyzed using GC-MS, whereas HBCDs were determined by LC-MS/MS. HBCDs, BTBPE, and DBDPE were found in mussels at levels ranging from <0.01 to 1,400, <0.1 to 13, and <0.3 to 22 ng/g lipid wt, respectively. Among the three HBCD diastereoisomers, α-HBCD was the dominant isomer followed by γ- and β-HBCDs. Concentrations of HBCDs and DBDPE in mussels from Japan and Korea were higher compared to those from the other Asian countries, indicating extensive usage of these non-PBDE BFRs in Japan and Korea. Higher levels of HBCDs and DBDPE than PBDEs were detected in some mussel samples from Japan. The results suggest that environmental pollution by non-PBDE BFRs, especially HBCDs in Japan, is ubiquitous. This study provides baseline information on the contamination status of these non-PBDE BFRs in the coastal waters of Asia.

Topics: Animals; Asia, Southeastern; Bivalvia; Bromobenzenes; Chromatography, Liquid; Environmental Monitoring; Flame Retardants; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Hydrocarbons, Brominated; Seawater; Water Pollutants, Chemical

The production and use of nonpolybrominated diphenyl ether (non-PBDE), brominated flame retardant (BFR) alternatives have been on the rise, although their assessment in environmental samples is largely understudied. In the present study, several non-PBDE BFRs were found in the egg pools of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from seven colonies in the five Laurentian Great Lakes (collected in 1982 to 2006). Of the 19 BFRs monitored, hexabromobenzene (HBB), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophe-noxy)ethane (BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-isomers of 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoeth-yl)cyclohexane (TBECH) were present in eggs from all the colonies with the highest detection frequencies of 100%, 54%, 9% and 97%, respectively. In 2005 and 2006 eggs, the concentrations of DBDPE were highest at three of the seven colonies (1.3 to 288 ng/g wet weight (ww)) and surpassed decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209). HBB (0.10 to 3.92 ng/g ww), BTBPE (1.82 to 0.06 ng/g ww), and Sigma-TBECH (0.04 to 3.44 ng/g ww; mainly the beta-isomer 52 to 100% of Sigma-TBECH) were detected at lower concentrations (and generally <

Topics: Animals; Bromobenzenes; Charadriiformes; Cyclohexanes; Environmental Monitoring; Flame Retardants; Geography; Great Lakes Region; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Isomerism; Ovum; Population Dynamics; Time Factors

Previous work has shown that certain parts of the Great Lakes region are polluted with Dechlorane Plus (DP), a highly chlorinated flame retardant that was used as a replacement for Dechlorane/Mirex. It was suspected that a source of DP to the environment might be its manufacturing facility located in the city of Niagara Falls, New York. To confirm this source location and to determine DP's spatial distribution, 26 tree bark samples were collected in triplicate from the northeastern United States, and the concentrations of DP and several brominated flame retardants (BFRs) were measured. Most concentrations of DP in tree bark were found to be much higher than those of the BFRs. The highest DP concentrations were >100 ng g(-1) bark in the city of Niagara Falls, dropping rapidly with distance from the potential source. A simple one-dimensional, Gaussian diffusion model was used to explain the spatial distribution of DP and to locate the source. The calculated source location was <7 km away from the DP manufacturing plant in Niagara Falls, New York.

Topics: Bromobenzenes; China; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Flame Retardants; Germany; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Italy; Korea; Phenyl Ethers; Pinus; Plant Bark; Polybrominated Biphenyls; Polycyclic Compounds; United States