Polybrominated diphenyl ethers as a new group of environmental pollutants

abstract

English

In recent years considerable attention is paid to the group of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which show an inhibitory effect on the ignition of combustible organic materials. Many different BFRs have been developed and several of them have been produced synthetically. The most important compounds of this type are polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and brominated cyclic hydrocarbons. BFRs have been used for a long time - pentaBDE (which is not manufactured anymore) as the first BFR was commercialized in the 1950s. The environmental importance of these compounds is caused by the fact that they could be released from the consumer products during their normal use, together with their toxicity, environmental persistence and ability of bioaccumulation. In this study the pollution of small ecosystem by brominated flame retardants was addressed. The breeding ponds near the village Záhlinice in Central Moravia (Czech Republic) were selected as model locality. The main goal was the evaluation of the level of contamination in fish and birds as two consecutive segments of food chain. 17 pieces of small and larger fish (10 species) and 14 birds (4 species) were caught and the levels of BDEs in individual tissues were analysed after homogenization with anhydrous Na2SO4 using pressurized solvent extraction. The extracts were cleaned-up by column chromatography on florisil and alumina treated by concentrated sulphuric acid and analysed by GC-ECD. Ten various PBDEs (BDE-3, BDE-15, BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-118, BDE-153, BDE-154, BDE-183) were targeted.

brominated flame retardants, fish, birds, gas chromatography

ČÁSLAVSKÝ, J.; VÁVROVÁ, M.; HROCH, M.; ZLÁMALOVÁ GARGOŠOVÁ, H.

21. 5. 2013

Belgrade, Serbia

978-86-7132-052-8

6th symposium Chemistry and Environmental Protection EnviroChem 2013

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