Effect of sewage-sludge application on concentrations of higher-brominated diphenyl ethers in soils and earthworms

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), including octa-decaBDEs, were found in soil and earthworm samples collected in 2000 from three research stations (reference plots and sewage-sludge-amended plots) and two farms (reference and amended/flooded soils) in Sweden. Sewage-sludge amendment at the research stations increased concentrations of all BDE congeners 2- to 13-fold, with the highest increases for BDE-209. Concentrations 100-to 1000-fold higher were seen in contaminated soils at both farms. BDE-209 was the predominant congener in all soils. sigmaPBDE concentrations in worms ranged from 3.1 to 38 000 ng/g lipid weight and were correlated to soil concentrations, including the octa-decaBDEs. Biota-soil accumulation factors declined in the following order: TeBDE > PeBDE > HxBDE > OcBDE > NoBDE > DeBDE, and ranged from 0.3 to 2 for the octa-decaBDEs. Thus, higher-brominated PBDEs, including BDE-209, are bioavailable from soils and accumulate in earthworms, presenting an exposure pathway into the terrestrial food web. High levels found at one farm 20 years after the last use of PBDEs indicate high persistence of PBDEs in soils, including BDE-209. No evidence of photolytic debromination of BDE-209 in soils was seen.     

Occurrence and fate of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in coastal and marine surface waters

This comprehensive study focused on the spatial and seasonal variations of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers (OPs) in surface water from the estuary of the River Elbe and the German Bight (North Sea). 100 surface water samples were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with regard to 16 different OPs. The dominating substance was found to be tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) (Elbe: 40-250 ng L⁻¹, German Bight: 3-28 ng L⁻¹). Furthermore, triethyl phosphate (TEP), tri-iso-butyl phosphate (TiBP), tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), and triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) were detected in concentrations up to 180 ng L⁻¹. Seasonal trends were detected for the longitudinal profile of the Elbe estuary. Besides the dilution of river water with North Sea water toward the mouth, leading to decreasing concentrations at the four sampling cruises (March, May, August, and October, 2010), an additional depletion of non-halogenated OPs was observed in summer which is supposed to be due to biodegradation or photodegradation.In addition, a comparison of all important tributaries of the German Bight (Elbe, Ems, and Weser) as well as the indirect tributaries Meuse, Rhine, and Scheldt was done by multivariate statistical methods. It could be shown that the contribution of non-halogenated alkylated OPs in the Rhine was higher than in all other tributaries. The riverine input of OPs into the North Sea via the investigated tributaries was estimated to be about 50 t yr⁻¹.