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Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used to reduce the flammability of plastics, textiles, and electronics. BFRs vary in their chemical properties and structures, and it is expected that these differences alter their biological interactions and toxicity. Zebrafish were used as the model organism for assessing the toxicity of nine structurally-diverse BFRs. In addition to monitoring for overt toxicity, the rate of spontaneous movement, and acetylcholinesterase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were assessed following exposure. The toxicities of BFRs tested can be ranked by LC50 as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) < 4,4′-isopropylidenebis[2-(2,6-dibromophenoxyl)ethanol] (TBBPA-OHEE) < Pentabromochlorocyclohexane (PBCH) < 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) < hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) < hexabromobenzene (HBB) < Tetrabromophthalic anhydride (PHT4). No adverse effect was observed in di(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) or dibromoneopentyl glycol (DBNPG)-treated embryos. The rate of spontaneous movement was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner following exposure to four of the nine compounds. GST activity was elevated following treatment with PBCH, TBBPA, HBCD, and HBB. The results indicate that exposure to several BFRs may activate an antioxidant response and alter behavior during early development. Some of the BFRs, such as TBBPA and TBBPA-OHEE, induced adverse effects at concentrations lower than chemicals that are currently banned. These results suggest that zebrafish are sensitive to exposure to BFRs and can be used as a comparative screening model, as well as to determine alterations in behavior following exposure and probe mechanisms of action.

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Magnetization, TEM, and x-ray diffraction studies have been carried out on GdCox films sputtered onto Si or sapphire substrates at ˜90 C, ambient temperature. The composition range studied was x=2−8.5. Over the composition range defined approximately by 5>×>3, the films, which are 1–3 microns thick, exhibit a unidirectionally displaced B-H loop, characteristic of an exchange-biased phase. TEM studies indicated that the samples with the shifted loops indeed consist of a mixture of amorphous and microcrystalline phases. The characteristic size of the microstructure is 10–20 A. Electron diffraction shows a very broad ring characteristic of amorphous phase together with six or seven sharper rings characteristic of crystalline material which index best to the hexagonal GdCo5 structure or to a high temperature hexagonal Gd2Co17 phase. The diffraction pattern remains virtually unchanged over the composition range x=2–8. This leads us to conclude that the microcrystalline material consists of one, or perhaps more than one, metastable phase over the indicated composition range. X-ray diffraction shows only one broad maximum.