Abstract
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a brominated flame retardant, which is widely present in the various environmental and biological media. The knowledge on the contamination of TBBPA in Weihe River Basin is still limited. In order to know the pollution level and distribution of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in the Weihe River Basin, a total of 34 sediment samples and 36 water samples were collected from the main stream and tributaries of the WeiHe River Basin, and the concentration of TBBPA in the samples was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS). The detection frequency of TBBPA in sediments and water samples was 61.8% and 27.8%, respectively; the TBBPA concentrations in sediments and water samples were in the range of not detected (N.D.)–3.889 ng/g (mean value of 0.283 ng/g) and N.D—12.279 ng/L (mean value of 0.937 ng/L), respectively. Compared with other areas in China, the residues of TBBPA in the Weihe River Basin were at a relatively low level. The spatial distributions of TBBPA in surface sediments and water indicated that the local point-input was their major source. This is related to the proximity of some sampling sites to industrial areas and domestic sewage discharge areas. The insignificant correlation between TBBPA and total organic carbon (TOC) indicated that TBBPA in sediments is not only influenced by TOC but also affected by atmosphere and land input, wet deposition, and long-distance transmission. The potential risks posed by TBBPA in water and sediment were characterized using the risk quotient (RQ) method. The calculated RQ for TBBPA was less than 0.01, showing that the ecological risk due to TBBPA was quite low for aquatic organisms.
Highlights
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant in the world, accounting for more than 60% of the brominated flame retardant market, and is extensively used in printed circuit board, paper, textile, and other industrial products [1]
The spatial distributions of TBBPA in surface sediments and water indicated that the local point-input was their major source
The potential risks posed by TBBPA in water and sediment were characterized using the risk quotient (RQ) method
Summary
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant in the world, accounting for more than 60% of the brominated flame retardant market, and is extensively used in printed circuit board, paper, textile, and other industrial products [1]. It was demonstrated in studies that TBBPA has strong immunotoxicity, endocrine toxicity, and the characteristics of persistent pollutants such as long-distance migration, bioaccumulation, and toxicity [2,3]. TBBPA continues to enter the environment in the process of production, use, and disposal of related products. The harm of TBBPA to the environment and human body has been widely considered, and it has been detected in various biological and environmental matrices including soil, atmosphere, water, sediment, animals, and plants [4,5,6,7]. Public Health 2020, 17, 3750; doi:10.3390/ijerph17113750 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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