Sediments from the Belgian North Sea (BNS), the Western Scheldt Estuary (SE) and freshwater watercourses from the Scheldt basin were analysed for eight PBDE congeners, namely BDEs 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183 and 209. Previously analysed biological samples from the same locations in the BNS and the SE have been shown to contain large amounts of PBDEs. Surprisingly, PBDE concentrations in the ...

The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of flame retardants that are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs), around the Zhuoshui River and Changhua County regions of Taiwan was assessed. An investigation into emissions, partitioning, and fate of selected PBDEs was conducted based on the equilibrium constant (EQC) fugacity model developed at Trent...

The transport behaviors of a suite of contaminants released from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling operations, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals, were evaluated by analyzing the contaminant residues in surface soils sampled in the surrounding area of an e-waste recycling site in South China. Concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs i...

I read with great interest the excellent article by Mahaffey et al. (2004), which further describes the characteristics of the 1,709 women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000 who were sampled for total and organic mercury levels in blood. It adds valuable detail to the initial report published last year (Schober et al. 2003). I would appreciate clarifica...

Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the environment have been increasing rapidly over the past two decades; however, the toxicology of these compounds to aquatic organisms is poorly understood. Because amphibians play a role in both aquatic and terrestrial food webs, and are currently undergoing worldwide population declines, it is of interest to determine how PBDEs may affect a...

BACKGROUND Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely found in the environment and are suspected endocrine disruptors. We previously identified six hydroxylated metabolites of PBDE (OH-PBDEs) in treated mice. OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that OH-PBDEs would interact with and alter activity of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha). METHODS We tested estrogenicity using two assays: ...

With the phaseout of the manufacture of some polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) formulations, namely penta-brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) and octa-BDE, and the continued use of the deca-BDE formulation, it is important to be able to predict the photodegradation of the more highly brominated congeners. A model was developed and validated to predict the products and their relative concentratio...

OBJECTIVE California children's exposures to polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants (PBDEs) are among the highest measured worldwide. We previously reported associations for prenatal and childhood PBDE exposures with decrements in attention, processing speed, fine motor coordination, and cognition in children at ages 5 and 7 years. Here, we investigate associations of PBDEs with attenti...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in plastics (concentration, 5--30%) and in textile coatings. Commercial products consist predominantly of penta-, octa-, and decabromodiphenyl ether mixtures, and global PBDE production is about 40,000 tons per year. PBDEs are bioaccumulated and biomagnified in the environment, and comparatively high levels are often found in a...

Indoor air concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) measured in 20 locations in Toronto ranged 0.008-16 ng·m(-3) (median 0.071 ng·m(-3)) and 0.8-130.5 ng·m(-3) (median 8.5 ng·m(-3)), respectively. PBDE and PCB air concentrations in homes tended to be lower than that in offices. Principal component analysis of congener profiles suggested that ...