Brominated Flame Retardants in North-East Atlantic Marine Ecosystems
- 1 December 2007
- journal article
- Published by Environmental Health Perspectives in Environmental Health Perspectives
- Vol. 115 (Suppl 1), 35-41
- https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.9355
Abstract
Concentrations of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are reported to increase in marine ecosystems. Characterize exposure to BFRs in animals from different trophic levels in North-East Atlantic coastal marine ecosystems along a latitudinal gradient from southern Norway to Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in the Arctic. Calanoid species were collected from the Oslofjord (59°N), Froan (64°N), and Spitsbergen (> 78°N); Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from the Oslofjord and Froan; polar cod (Boreogadus saida) from Bear Island (74°N) and Spitsbergen; harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) from the Oslofjord, Froan, and Spitsbergen; and ringed seal (Phoca vitulina) from Spitsbergen. Eggs of common tern (Sterna hirundo) were collected from the Oslofjord, and eggs of arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) from Froan and Spitsbergen. Levels of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) generally decreased as a function of increasing latitude, reflecting distance from release sources. The clear latitudinal decrease in levels of BFRs was not pronounced in the two tern species, most likely because they are exposed during migration. The decabrominated compound BDE-209 was detected in animals from all three ecosystems, and the highest levels were found in arctic tern eggs from Spitsbergen. HBCD was found in animals from all trophic levels, except for in calanoids at Froan and Spitsbergen. Even though the levels of PBDEs and HBCD are generally low in North-East Atlantic coastal marine ecosystems, there are concerns about the relatively high presence of BDE-209 and HBCD.Keywords
This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit:
- Biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ether and hexabromocyclododecane flame retardants in the polar bear food chain in Svalbard, NorwayEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2006
- Levels of the Flame Retardants Hexabromocyclododecane and Tetrabromobisphenol A in the Blubber of Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Stranded or Bycaught in the U.K., with Evidence for an Increase in HBCD Concentrations in Recent YearsEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2006
- Absorption of decabromodiphenyl ether and other organohalogen chemicals by grey seals (Halichoerus grypus)Environmental Pollution, 2005
- Latitudinal Fractionation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Surface Seawater along a 62° N−89° N Transect from the Southern Norwegian Sea to the North Pole AreaEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2004
- Brominated flame retardants: cause for concern?Environmental Health Perspectives, 2004
- Toxic effects of brominated flame retardants in man and in wildlifeEnvironment International, 2003
- An overview of commercially used brominated flame retardants, their applications, their use patterns in different countries/regions and possible modes of releaseEnvironment International, 2003
- Influence of trophic position on organochlorine concentrations and compositional patterns in a marine food webEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2002
- Peer Reviewed: Tracking the Distribution of Persistent Organic PollutantsEnvironmental Science & Technology, 1996
- Immunoquantitation and Microsomal Monooxygenase Activities of Hepatic Cytochromes P4501A and P4502B and Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Contaminant Levels in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 1996