Aquatic bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of tetrabromobisphenol-A flame retardant introduced from a typical e-waste recycling site

Concentration of Tetrabromobisphenol-A in fish: systematic review and meta-analysis and probabilistic health risk assessment

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP-A) is an emerging pollutant that enters water resources and affects various marine organisms, such as fish. Consequently, numerous studies globally investigated TBBP-A concentrations in fish fillets of the current study were meta-analyze concentration of TBBP-A in fish fillets and estimate the associated health risks for consumers. The search encompassed international databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science from January 1, 2005, to July 20, 2023. The ranking of countries based on the pooled (Mean) concentration of TBBP-A in fish was as follows: China (1.157 µg/kg-ww) > Czech Republic (1.027 µg/kg-ww) > France (0.500 µg/kg-ww) ∼ Switzerland (0.500 µg/kg-ww) > Netherlands (0.405 µg/kg-ww) > Germany (0.33 µg/kg-ww) > Sweden (0.165 µg/kg-ww)>UK (0.078 µg/kg-ww) > Belgium (0.065 µg/kg-ww) > South Korea (0.013 µg/kg-ww) ∼ Japan (0.013 µg/kg-ww) > Ireland (0.005 µg/kg-ww). The risk assessment showed that the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of TBBP-A in China and France are higher compared to other countries; however, within all countries, these risks were found to be within acceptable limits.

Levels, distribution and risk assessment of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in fish in Xiamen, China

In this study, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) was detected in 114 fish samples collected from 6 administrative regions of Xiamen city, China. HBCD amounts ranged between ND (not detected) and 2.216 ng g^-1 ww (mean, 0.127 ± 0.318 ng g^-1 ww). Besides, α-HBCD was the main diastereoisomer in these fish specimens, followed by β-HBCD. Meanwhile, γ-HBCD was not detected in any of the samples. Significant differences were recorded among fish species. The results indicated that the levels and detection rates of HBCD were higher in Trachinotus ovatus compared with other aquatic organisms. Therefore, Trachinotus ovatus could be used as a marine biological indicator of HBCD. Within the regions investigated, Siming was significantly different from Jimei, Haicang, and Xiang'an. The spatial distribution of HBCD concentrations indicated higher mean levels in samples collected from Haicang, Jimei, and Xiang'an, respectively, with the highest detection rates in Jimei and Xiang'an, which might be related to geographical location and intense industrial and urban activities. Estimation of daily HBCD intake was performed according to fish consumption in Xiamen residents. The medium bound HBCD amounts in fish were approximately 0.073 and 0.088 ng kg bw^-1d^-1 for male and female residents of Xiamen, respectively. Exposure doses of HBCD indicated no health concern for Xiamen residents.

Spatiotemporal characteristics and pollution level of brominated flame retardants in bivalves from Fujian southern coastal areas

The concentration and spatiotemporal distribution of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), were analyzed in bivalves from Fujian southern coastal areas. The concentrations of HBCD and TBBPA ranged from ND (not detected) to 5.540 ng·g-1 (ww) (median of 0.111 ng·g-1) and ND to 0.962 ng·g-1 (ww) (median of ND), respectively. In addition, α-HBCD was found as the predominant diastereoisomer in all the studied samples, followed by β-HBCD and γ-HBCD. The spatial distribution of BFRs showed a peak distribution, with the content being higher in the marine environment of Xiamen and Quanzhou, in South Fujian, and lower toward the marine environment of Zhangzhou, and Putian. BFRs contamination level was correlated to the bay geographical location and proximity to local industries. Furthermore, the results of the study showed a seasonal variation pattern: summer > autumn > spring > winter. This study provides base information on the contamination status of these BFRs in the marine environment of southern Fujian.

Residual levels and risk assessment of tetrabromobisphenol A in Baiyang Lake and Fuhe river, China

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in water from Xiongan New Area was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), simultaneous with its risk assessment. The optimal extraction conditions, derivatization factors (such as derivation reagent amount, derivatization time and temperature), and dissolution solvent were determined by orthogonal experiment. These results indicated the optimum derivatization time and temperature were 70 °C and 30 min, respectively, whilst the amount of derivatization reagent (N,O-bis (trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide) was 40 μL. The optimum extraction efficiency was obtained when using the mixture of hexane-dichloromethane (1:1, v:v) with salt concentration of 6 g/L. Using the sample of S9 as control, the recovery experiments were performed with three different spiked levels. The water samples of Baiyang Lake and Fuhe river were analyzed using the optimized conditions. Those results showed that the concentrations of TBBPA in samples ranged from 18.5 ng/L to 82.6 ng/L, which lies in the middle level of data previously published from other areas in China. The risk quotient (RQ) model was used to evaluate the above data. The results of exposure and risk assessment showed that the margin of exposure (MOE) was 1.28 × 10⁷-2.5 × 10⁷ and the RQ_max was 0.0266. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) standard and categories of RQ indicates that the estimated dietary exposure to TBBPA is unlikely to raise significant health concerns. This is the first report on the occurrence and risk assessment of TBBPA in waters from Xiongan New Area, which will be helpful for further risk assessment of other persistent organic pollutants. At present, the toxicological data of TBBPA in the biological body of Baiyang Lake is limited. In addition, more accurate and convenient approaches for the risk assessment of TBBPA should be explored.