RESUMEN
The concentrations and spatial distribution of 14 organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) and plasticizers were studied in aquatic environments of China, namely, the Pearl River Delta (PRD), South China Sea (SCS) and Yellow River Estuary (YRE), as well as Tokyo Bay (TB) in Japan. These locations were characterized by different levels of socioeconomic development and human activities. The spatial pattern of OPFRs revealed their ubiquity along the coasts of China and Japan; the concentrations ranged from 15 to 1790, 1 to 147, 253 to 1720, and 107 to 284 ng L-1 in the PRD, SCS, YRE and TB, respectively. The most frequently detected OPFR was triethyl phosphate (TEP), followed by triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). A positive relationship (R2 = 0.668, p = 0.004) was observed between OPFR contamination and socioeconomic activity, measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, for the studied cities in China and Japan. The results suggest that an increase in manufacturing and construction activities in the studied areas may aggravate coastal contamination with OPFRs. The potential threat to aquatic organisms from exposure to TCEP, a suspected carcinogen, was revealed by the hazard quotient (HQ) and probabilistic assessments. Further investigation of OPFR exposure in the aquatic environment of China is urgently required.
RESUMEN
The present study investigated the composition profiles and levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and five PBDE alternatives in the blubber of two species of marine mammals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) from the South China Sea. Despite the fact that PBDEs were the most predominant brominated flame retardants in the samples analyzed, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis (2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), bis- (2-ethylhexyl) -tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) and Dechlorane Plus (DP) were all detected in both cetacean species. In addition, significantly increasing temporal shifting trends of Deca-BDE to DBDPE, Octa-BDE to BTBPE, and Deca-BDE to DP were observed in porpoise samples between 2003 and 2012 and dolphin samples between 2003 and 2011. These patterns may be attributed to the replacement of PBDEs by alternative halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and the increasing usage of these alternatives following the restriction/voluntary withdrawal of the production and use of PBDE commercial mixtures. Our findings suggest that the study region may be a source of contamination by PBDE alternative flame retardants due to the high detection frequencies and levels of these compounds in marine mammals.
