Occurrence, Bioaccumulation, and Trophic Transfer of Oligomeric Organophosphorus Flame Retardants in an Aquatic Environment

Abstract

Oligomeric organophosphorus flame retardants (o-OPFRs) are extensively used as substitutes for decabromodiphenyl ether. However, little is currently known about their occurrence in aquatic environments, their bioaccumulation, or their trophic transfer. In this study, concentrations of two o-OPFRs, bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BPA-BDPP) and 1,3-phenylene bis(diphenyl phosphate) (PBDPP), were measured in water, sediment, and food web organisms (plankton, invertebrates, and fishes) from Taihu Lake, China. BPA-BDPP was detected for the first time in surface water (<0.002-0.21 ng/L), and was frequently detected in sediment with concentrations (0.005-89 ng/g dry weight (dw)) comparable to the sum of traditional monomeric OPFRs (Ʃm-OPFRs, 6.0-1.0×102 ng/g dw). BPA-BDPP was also detected in all biota species (0.012-0.52 ng/g wet weight (ww)). PBDPP was detected only in sediment (<0.004-1.2 ng/g dw) and aquatic organisms (<0.002-0.22 ng/g ww), at lower levels than BPA-BDPP. BPA-BDPP showed higher bioaccumu...