Assessing the long-range transport potential of polybrominated diphenyl ethers: A comparison of four multimedia models

Abstract

Data from a comprehensive literature search of environmentally relevant physical-chemical properties for nine polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), ranging from a monobrominated congener to the fully brominated decabromodiphenyl ether, were evaluated and adjusted to achieve both internal and interhomologue consistency. These data were then used in four model-based long-range transport potential (LRTP) assessment methods. The models TaPL3-2.10, ELPOS-1.1.1, Chemrange-2, and Globo-POP-1.1 were found to yield comparable predictions. A comparison of the LRTP estimates for the PBDEs with those of benchmark chemicals (polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs]) suggest that the lower-brominated congeners have a LRTP comparable to that of PCBs known to be subject to significant LRT, whereas the highly brominated congeners have a very low potential to reach remote areas. This is in agreement with field measurements in remote regions that indicate that the lighter components of commercially produced PBDE mixtures predominate. Deviations between Chemrange and the models based on the concept of a characteristic travel distance were due to differences in the assumed height of the air compartment, which influences the relative importance of atmospheric degradation and deposition processes. The three models assuming a uniform temperature of 25 degrees C may underestimate the LRTP of the smaller congeners. Only atmospheric parameters had a notable influence on the LRTP estimates by TaPL3, ELPOS, and Chemrange. whereas the relative enrichment of chemicals in the Arctic calculated by Globo-POP is additionally sensitive to the parameters related to the interaction of temperature with air-surface exchange and degradation in surface compartments.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polychlorobiphenyls in Fish from the Ionian Sea (Western Mediterranean)

“…PBDE47 is the congener most used in penta-brominated commercial mixtures, which have been banned in Europe since 15 August 2004. Previous uses, debromination processes [28], or long-range transport [30] from countries where pentabrominated mixtures are still in use may be responsible for this pattern. The predominante of BDE47 may also be due to preferential elimination or metabolic degradation of BDE99 [30], following the debromination pattern [27].…”

Brominated Flame Retardants

“…Modelling approaches to assess the long-range transport potential of both the BDEs and HBCD have been undertaken (Wania and Dugani, 2003;Drohmann, 2006). For HBCD and highly brominated BDE congeners such as BDE209, it was concluded that they have a very low potential to reach remote areas.…”

Influence of Hydrological Parameters on Organohalogenated Micropollutant (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polychlorinated Biphenyls) Behaviour in the Seine (France)

“…Furthermore, contrary to BDE-209, P tri-hepta BDEs were positively correlated to Seine River flow (R 2 = 0.59; P \ 0.05). Thus, lighter PBDEs seemed to originate from Braekevelt et al (2003) and Wania and Dugani (2003) for PBDEs and Hawker and Connell (1988) diffuse input during a greater flow periods, whereas the situation was unclear in the case of BDE-209. These findings suggest that tri-hepta BDE and BDE-209 inputs to surface water may occur by way of different pathways.…”