Sediment records of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Yangtze River Delta of Yangtze River in China

Selected legacy and emerging organic contaminants in sediments of China's Yangtze - the world's third longest river: Response to anthropogenic activities

To explore contaminant concerns as a result of anthropogenic disturbance of the river system, this study provided the first extensive investigation of the contamination profiles, possible driving factors, and ecological risks of 40 target compounds including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), neonicotinoid pesticides (NNIs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments of the whole Yangtze River (the world's third longest river). Among these target compounds, PPCPs were the dominant contaminants with a total concentration (∑15PPCPs) of 2.13-14.99 ng/g, followed by ∑7PCBs ( Collapse

Key Words

• NNIs
• PBDEs
• PCBs
• PPCPs
• Sediment
• Yangtze River

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MESH Headings

• Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis
• Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers/analysis
• Anthropogenic Effects
• Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
• Rivers/chemistry
• Plastics
• Environmental Monitoring/methods
• Geologic Sediments/chemistry
• China

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Affiliation(s)

Yulin Chen Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China; The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK
Yang Tan Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
Yuying Feng Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
Tao Dong Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
Chunxia Jiang Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
Chen Wang The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK
Yuyi Yang Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
Zulin Zhang Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China; The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK.

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Exposure levels and determinants of placental polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Chinese pregnant women

BACKGROUND

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of widely used chemicals and humans are exposed to them in their daily life. PBDEs exposure during pregnancy may have adverse effects on pregnant women and their fetuses. Nevertheless, limited information is available on the levels and determinants of PBDEs exposure in Chinese pregnant women.

METHODS

The internal exposure levels of eight PBDEs (BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, and 209) in placental samples of 1280 pregnant women from Zunyi birth cohort were analyzed using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. All PBDEs concentrations were lipid adjusted (ng/g lw). Determinants of exposure were assessed by multivariable logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Eight PBDE homologues were quantifiable in more than 70% of the samples. The highest median concentrations were found for BDE-209 (2.78 ng/g lw), followed by BDE-153 (1.00 ng/g lw) and BDE-183 (0.93 ng/g lw). The level of ΣPBDEs ranged from 0.90 to 308.78 ng/g lw, with a median concentration of 10.02 ng/g lw. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that maternal age older than 30 years old (OR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.23), pre-pregnancy obesity (1.51; 1.08, 2.10), home renovation within 2 years (1.43; 1.08, 1.91), spending more time outdoors during pregnancy (0.70; 0.55, 0.89), high consumption of fish/seafood (1.46; 1.13, 1.90) and eggs (1.44; 1.04, 2.00), male infant sex (1.69; 1.18, 2.42) were associated with PBDEs exposure.

CONCLUSION

The study population is generally exposed to PBDEs, of which BDE-209 is the dominant congener, indicating extensive application of products containing deca-BDE mixtures. Maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, home decoration, average outdoor time during pregnancy, fish, seafood, eggs consumption, and fetal sex were exposure-determinning factors. This study contributes to the knowledge on region-specific PBDEs contamination in pregnant women and related risk factors.

Serum polybrominated diphenyl ether exposure and influence factors in blood donors of Wuxi adults from 2013 to 2016

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used as brominated flame retardants worldwide and are correlated with extensive environmental pollution and human health concerns. This study is aimed at analyzing the concentrations of PBDEs and at evaluating their temporal trends among a population of blood donors (n = 33) over a 4-year period. A total of 132 serum samples were used for PBDE detection. Nine PBDE congeners were quantified in serum samples by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The median concentrations of Σ₉PBDEs in each year were 33.46, 29.75, 30.85, and 35.02 ng/g lipid, respectively. Most of the PBDE congeners showed a downward trend from 2013 to 2014 and then increased after 2014. No correlations between age and PBDE congener concentrations were observed, while concentrations of each congener and Σ₉PBDE were nearly always lower in females than in males, especially in BDE-66, BDE-153, BDE-183, BDE-190, and Σ₉PBDE. We also found that the intake of fish, fruit, and eggs in the daily diet was related to the exposure level of PBDEs. Our results suggest that, as deca-BDE is still produced and used in China, diet is an important exposure pathway for PBDEs, and follow-up studies will be required to improve our understanding of the behaviors of PBDE isomers in humans and the exposure levels.

The effect of 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) on locomotor behaviour and muscle physiology of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

The 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) is the predominant congener of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and it is also a persistent organic pollutant that with a higher detection rate in samples from environment and animals. To date, there have been few studies of the effects of BDE-47 on locomotion in sea cucumbers. In this study, we investigated the influence of different concentrations of BDE-47 (low: 0.1 μg/L; moderate: 1.0 μg/L; high: 10.0 μg/L) on locomotion of Apostichopus japonicus and evaluated changes in their muscle physiology using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The behavioural studies showed that the average and maximum velocity of movement decreased significantly in both the moderate and high BDE-47 groups after 1 day of exposure. In addition, levels of 55 metabolites were identified and characterized in the longitudinal muscle of A. japonicus exposed to BDE-47. The alteration of taurine and norepinephrine levels indicated that BDE-47 had drastic physiological effects on the longitudinal muscle of A. japonicus.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in sediment from a typical e-waste dismantling region in Southern China: Occurrence, spatial distribution, composition profiles, and ecological risks

Our study evaluated the current occurrence, composition, and spatial distribution of eight congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and seven novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in sediment from Guiyu, a typical e-waste dismantling region in China. PBDEs levels ranged from 0.345 to 401,000 ng/g dw and NBFRs levels ranged from 0.581 to 73,100 ng/g dw. Almost all sediment samples contained high levels of BDE-209 and DBDPE, and the ratio of DBDPE/BDE-209 in sediments ranged from 0.0814 to 2.80 (mean: 0.879). The concentration and composition profiles for BFRs in sediments from both mainstream and tributaries of two major rivers in Guiyu reach (and adjacent downstream locations) differed significantly from those far from Guiyu town. Whereas the high presence of BFRs in Guiyu reflected the historical crude e-waste dismantling activities in the region; the locations far from Guiyu town were likely to receive BFRs from atmospheric deposition, not originated from the region, as BFRs in water-sediment are known to be able to migrate a limited distance along the river. Ecological risk assessment revealed that the low brominated congeners of PBDEs and BDE-209 posed an unacceptable risk to the sedimentary life at multiple locations. Our results updated our knowledge of BFRs contamination in Guiyu, suggesting the necessity of continuous source monitoring, control procedures, and sediment cleanup for BFRs.

Toxic effect of BDE-47 on the marine alga Skeletonema costatum: Population dynamics, photosynthesis, antioxidation and morphological changes

The toxic effects of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) on the marine alga Skeletonema costatum were studied, including the population dynamics, chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, pigment content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and morphology. High doses (200-600 μg L^-1) of BDE-47 significantly suppressed the population growth of S. costatum, with a 96 h EC₅₀ value of 293 μg L^-1. Photosynthetic parameters (F_v/F_m, rETR_max and Φ_PSⅡ) of photosystem II (PSII) were significantly inhibited with increasing BDE-47 concentrations. The chlorophyll c (chl c) concentration was also inhibited by exposure to BDE-47. In contrast, chl a and carotenoid concentrations were elevated after exposure to high concentrations of BDE-47 for 72 and 96 h. The SOD activity was generally higher at concentrations of 100-600 μg L^-1 than those of the control when the exposure time was less than 48 h. With increasing time, the SOD activity generally decreased, and significantly higher SOD activity only occurred in the treatment with high doses of BDE-47. High MDA contents occurred after exposure for 96 h in all BDE-47 treatments. With increasing BDE-47 concentrations, drastic deformation of the silicious valve and detachment of the strutted processes were found. In addition, drastic decreases in the BDE-47 concentration in culture medium indicated the bioaccumulation of BDE-47 by S. costatum. Our results revealed multiple responses of S. costatum to BDE-47 exposure, and indicated the potential risk of BDE-47 in the East China Sea based on these responses.