RESUMO
The widespread use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a brominated flame retardant, is a major public health concern because of the toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative nature of HBCD. However, there is limited information available regarding the distribution and transportation of HBCD in sediments across various environmental settings, spanning from riverine to marine environments in the Kaohsiung area of Taiwan. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the level and distribution of and potential ecological risk posed by HBCD in surface sediments in the Kaohsiung area of Taiwan. In sediment samples from stations on the Love River and Kaohsiung Port area, the concentrations of HBCD ranged from 10.6 to 320.1 µg/kg dry weight (dw) and nondetectable (n.d.) to 58.4 µg/kg dw, respectively. The concentrations of HBCD in sediment collected from the M1, M2, and M3 sites, located in the Cijin coastal area, were 896.2 µg/kg dw, 3.2 µg/kg dw (