Pollution profiles and risk assessment of PBDEs and phenolic brominated flame retardants in water environments within a typical electronic waste dismantling region.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the pollution profiles of various typical brominated flame retardants in water and surface sediment near a typical electronic waste dismantling region in southern China. We found that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), pentabromophenol (PeBP), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and bisphenol A (BPA) were ubiquitous in the water and sediment samples collected in the study region. In water, Σ19PBDEs (sum of all 20 PBDE congeners studied except BDE-209, which was below the detection limit) levels ranged from 0.31 to 8.9×10(2)ngL(-1). TBP, PeBP, TBBPA, and BPA concentrations in the water samples ranged from not being detectable (nd-under the detection limit) to 3.2×10(2) (TBP), from nd to 37 (PeBP), from nd to 9.2×10(2) (TBBPA) and from nd-8.6×10(2) ng L(-1) (BPA). In sediment, Σ19PBDEs ranged from nd to 5.6×10(3) ngg(-1), while BDE-209 was the predominant congener, with a range of nd to 3.5×10(3) ngg(-1). Tri- to hepta-BDE concentrations were significantly (p<0.01) correlated with each other, except for BDE-71 and BDE-183, and octa- to nona-BDEs concentrations were significantly (p<0.05) correlated with each other, except for BDE-208. BDE-209 was not significantly correlated with tri- to nona-BDEs. Risk assessments indicated that the water and sediment across the sampling sites posed no estrogenic risk. However, different eco-toxicity risk degrees at three trophic levels did exist at most sampling sites.