Assessing Surface Sediment Contamination by PBDE in a Recharge Point of Guarani Aquifer in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Raissa S Ferrari,Alecsandra O De Souza,Daniel L R Annunciação,Fernando F Sodré,Daniel J Dorta

doi:10.3390/w11081601

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in several products, although they can act as neurotoxic, hepatotoxic and endocrine disruptors in organisms. In Brazil, their levels in aquatic sediments are poorly known; thus, concerns about the degree of exposure of the Brazilian population to PBDEs have grown. This study aimed to quantify the presence of PBDEs in sediment samples from an important groundwater water supply in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, and to contribute to studies related to the presence of PBDEs in Brazilian environments. Gas chromatography coupled with Electron Capture Detection (GC-ECD) was used for quantification after submitting the samples to ultrasound-assisted extraction and clean-up steps. Results showed the presence of six PBDE, BDE-47 being the most prevalent in the samples, indicating a major contamination of the penta-PBDE commercial mixture. The concentration of ΣPBDEs (including BDE-28, -47, -66, -85, -99, -100, -138, -153, -154 and -209) varied between nd (not detected) to 5.4 ± 0.2 ng g−1. Although preliminary, our data show the anthropic contamination of a direct recharge area of the Aquifer Guarani by persistent and banned substances.

Highlights

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of pollutants that has gained notoriety in recent decades due to their increased level in biotic and abiotic samples, not to mention several “in vitro”and “in vivo” assays that have evidenced their potential to cause damage [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
PBDEs belong to the group of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that were introduced in the 1970s as an alternative to other banned flame retardants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) [8,9]
During the clean-up step, it was possible to notice that this sample presented small quantities of organic carbon, which may contribute to the fixation of PBDE in the presented small quantities of organic carbon, which may contribute to the fixation of PBDE in the sediment matrix

Summary

Introduction

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of pollutants that has gained notoriety in recent decades due to their increased level in biotic and abiotic samples, not to mention several “in vitro”and “in vivo” assays that have evidenced their potential to cause damage [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. PBDEs are applied as a security system to retard, suppress, or inhibit the combustion process, thereby reducing risks of fires [9,10,11]. They are used in electronic devices like televisions and computers, circuit boards, cables, automotive components, and construction materials; they are employed in the textile industry [12,13]. Water 2019, 11, 1601 distinct physicochemical characteristics, depending on the order of chemical bromine substitution [2,14] These compounds are considered harmful persistent organic pollutants because they are little soluble in water, have high octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow ), can persist in the environment, can accumulate in living organisms [15], and have shown toxicity to several organisms

Objectives

Results

Conclusion