ABSTRACT
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of brominated ame retardants that are used in numerous polymer-based commercial and household products such as textiles, furniture, and electronic equipment, to reduce the likelihood of ignition, slow the burn rate should products catch ˆre, and meet ˆre safety standards [1,2]. PBDEs can be substituted with up to 10 bromine (Br) atoms and, depending on the locations and number of Br atoms, there are 209 possible congeners. PBDEs and their hydroxylated metabolites, HO-PBDEs, are structurally similar to thyroxine (T4), and laboratory studies indicate that PBDE exposures interfere with early neurodevelopment [3]. Since the 1990s, PBDEs have been recognized as a global problem, as they have been detected worldwide in all environmental matrices examined (air, water, soil, sediment, sludge, dust, mussels, ˆsh, mammals, and human samples) [4-7]. The less brominated congeners have been found in remote areas (e.g., the Arctic) distant from their known use or production [5] and in the open oceans [8]. PBDEs
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 33 2.1.1 Chemical and Physical Properties and Uses ...............................................................34 2.1.2 Sources and Environmental Fate ................................................................................36 2.1.3 Toxicity ....................................................................................................................... 37
2.2 PBDEs in the Global Environment ......................................................................................... 39 2.2.1 Human Samples: Spatial and Temporal Trends .......................................................... 39 2.2.2 Sediment, Soil, and House Dust: Spatial and Temporal Trends ................................. 42
2.2.2.1 Surface Sediment and Sediment Core ......................................................... 42 2.2.2.2 Soil ............................................................................................................... 43 2.2.2.3 House Dust ................................................................................................... 43
2.2.3 Wildlife: Spatial and Temporal Trends .......................................................................46 2.2.3.1 Mussels .........................................................................................................46 2.2.3.2 Fish Species ................................................................................................. 47 2.2.3.3 Birds and Bird Eggs .....................................................................................48 2.2.3.4 Mammals .....................................................................................................50
