Abstract
The polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are bioaccumulative, persistent, and toxic. They have a high risk of emission into the environment via volatile losses and diffuse sources, such as commercial product disposal or the use of sewage sludge. The PBDEs’ congeners were analyzed in municipal waste water treatment plant (WWTP) sludge, river and lake water, sediment, and fish samples, to investigate the concentrations in urban and natural locations. The sum of eight PBDE congener (∑8PBDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, 209) concentrations in WWTP sludge varied from 78 ng·g−1 DW, to 714 ng·g−1 DW. The BDE 209 constituted up to 93%–98% of ∑8PBDE. In water, the concentrations of all of the measured PBDE congeners were below the limit of detection. Similarly, the concentration of BDE 209 in the sediments was below the limit of detection in all samples. The sum of seven PBDE congener concentrations in the sediments varied from 0.01 to 0.13 ng·g−1 DW. The sum of eight PBDE congener concentrations in fish (European perch) tissues varied from 0.13 to 0.82 ng·g−1 WW. As was recorded for the WWTP sludge, the BDE 209 was the dominant congener, constituting 24%–93% of ∑8PBDE. The sum of seven PBDE congener concentrations, excluding BDE 209, as well as the concentrations of BDE 209 that were measured in WWTP sludge, exhibited a weak negative correlation (Pearson’s r = −0.56, p = 0.1509 and r = −0.48, p = 0.2256, respectively) with the content of dry matter in the sludge. The sum of seven PBDE congener concentrations measured in sediments exhibited a strong negative correlation (Pearson’s r = −0.82, p = 0.0006) with the content of dry matter in the sediments, and a strong positive correlation (Pearson’s r = 0.68, p = 0.0109) with the total carbon content. The obtained results indicated that the fine-grained WWTP sludge particles, with a larger relative surface area, adsorbed BDE 209 the most effectively. This finding was supported by the relatively low environmental concentrations of PBDE congeners, especially BDE 209, which can be explained by the lack of using sewage sludge in agricultural application in Latvia. Furthermore, it seems that, at present, the observed differences in the PBDE congener concentrations in sediments can be attributed to differences in the physical-chemical properties of sediments.
Highlights
The polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are halogenated compounds, which were listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention in 2009 [1]
The concentrations of PBDE congeners (BDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, 209) in waste water treatment plant (WWTP) sludge ranged from 0.1 ng·g−1 DW (BDE 28) to 700 ng·g−1 DW (BDE 209)
The concentrations of PBDEs in the sewage sludge reported in this study, are at the low end of the wide concentration range reported elsewhere for WWTPs’ sludge [6,39,40], and similar to the earlier studies, the concentrations of BDE 209 constituted 89%–98% of the ∑8 PBDE
Summary
The polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are halogenated compounds, which were listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention in 2009 [1]. Three commercial mixtures (penta-, octa-, and deca-BDE), introduced in the 1970s, have been widely used as additive flame retardants in various industrial applications, such as plastics, textiles, electronics, building materials, furniture, and other products for manufacturing [3,5,6] They have a high risk of emission into the environment [7]. Concentrations of BDE 209 in sewage sludge, have exhibited a clear increase between 2004 and 2010 [34] This fact poses a serious environmental concern, since current evidence suggests that some aquatic organisms, including fish, have a capacity to de-brominate BDE 209 to lower-brominated congeners [35,36], which have higher mobility and toxicological properties. It has been demonstrated that benthic fauna is able to re-mobilize buried PBDEs from sediments [37], and sediments become an important secondary source of these compounds
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
