5 research outputs found
Flame Retardants and Legacy Chemicals in Great Lakes’ Water
The Great Lakes have
been the focus of extensive environmental
research, but recent data on the aquatic concentrations of emerging
compounds, such as flame retardants, are scarce. Water samples from
18 stations on the five Great Lakes were collected in 2011 and 2012
using XAD-2 resin adsorption and analyzed for PCBs, organochlorine
pesticides, PAHs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and emerging
flame retardants, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPEs).
Total PCB concentrations ranged from 117 ± 18 pg/L in Lake Superior
to 623 ± 113 pg/L in Lake Ontario. Among the organochlorine pesticides,
the most abundant was dieldrin, with the highest average concentration
of 99 ± 26 pg/L in Lake Erie, followed by <i>p</i>,<i>p′</i>-DDD with an average concentration of 37 ±
8 pg/L in Lake Ontario. Total PAH concentrations were higher in Lakes
Erie and Ontario than in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior. Total
PBDE concentrations were highest in Lake Ontario (227 ± 75 pg/L),
and the most abundant congeners were BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-209.
Total OPE concentrations ranged between 7.3 ± 4.5 ng/L in Lake
Huron to 96 ± 43 ng/L in Lake Erie
Identification of Marbon in the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
Marbon
is isomeric with Dechlorane Plus (DP). Both are produced
by the Diels–Alder condensation of hexachlorocyclopentadiene
with cyclic dienes, and both have elemental compositions of C<sub>18</sub>H<sub>12</sub>Cl<sub>12</sub>. Dechlorane Plus is commonly
found in the environment throughout the world, but Marbon has, so
far, only been detected at low levels in one sediment core collected
near the mouth of the Niagara River in Lake Ontario. Here we report
on the concentrations of Marbon and <i>anti</i>-DP in 59
water samples from five Lake Michigan tributaries [the Grand, Kalamazoo,
St. Joseph, and Lower Fox Rivers, and the Indiana Harbor and Ship
Canal (IHSC)], 10 surface sediment samples from the IHSC, and 2 surface
sediment samples from the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Three Marbon
diastereomers were detected in the water and sediment samples from
the IHSC, which is far from the location of its previous detection
in Lake Ontario. The sum of the concentrations of the three Marbons
was greater in the water from the IHSC (<i>N</i> = 11, median
=150 pg/L) compared to those in water from the other four tributaries
(<i>N</i> = 11–13, medians =0.9–2.0 pg/L).
Marbon concentrations in sediment samples from the IHSC were up to
450 ng/g dry weight. <i>Anti</i>-DP was also measured for
comparison. Its concentrations were not significantly different among
the water samples, but its sediment concentrations in the IHSC were
significantly correlated with those of Marbon. The source of Marbon
contamination in the IHSC is not clear
Flame Retardant Metabolites in Addled Bald Eagle Eggs from the Great Lakes Region
Organophosphate esters
(OPEs) and other alternative flame retardants
including 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTBB) and bisÂ(2-ethylhexyl)
tetrabromophthalate (BEHTBP) are ubiquitous in the Great Lakes region,
having been detected in air, water, and biota samples. In a recent
study, however, we showed that concentrations of six OPEs in eagle
eggs were generally low (geometric mean 24 ng/g ww), and the two main
Firemaster (FM) components, EHTBB and BEHTBP, were below limits of
detection. We therefore hypothesized that the low levels of these
compounds in bald eagles may be due to a potential rapid metabolic
transformation. We measured metabolites of triaryl and trialkyl phosphates
and brominated Firemaster (FM) flame retardants in 21 addled bald
eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) eggs
from 2000 to 2012 from the Michigan Bald Eagle Biosentinel Program
archive. Sampling sites were divided into two groups: inland (IN)
and Great Lakes (GL) based on breeding areas. Results suggest that
the most abundant metabolites in the eggs are 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoic
acid (TBBA) (n.d. – 330 ng/g ww), bisÂ(2-chloroethyl) phosphate
(BCEP) (0.38–26 ng/g ww), and bisÂ(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate
(BDBPP) (n.d. – 45 ng/g ww). Detection frequencies ranged from
67% for mono-(2-ethyhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBMEHP) to 100% for
most of the other compounds. The relative abundances for these parent/metabolite
pairs indicate that the majority of the OPEs can be readily metabolized
at various rates, depending on the specific compound
Updated Polychlorinated Biphenyl Mass Budget for Lake Michigan
This
study revisits and updates the Lake Michigan Mass Balance
Project (LMMBP) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that was conducted
in 1994–1995. This work uses recent concentrations of PCBs
in tributary and open lake water, air, and sediment to calculate an
updated mass budget. Five of the 11 LMMBP tributaries were revisited
in 2015. In these five tributaries, the geometric mean concentrations
of ∑PCBs (sum of 85 congeners) ranged from 1.52 to 22.4 ng
L<sup>–1</sup>. The highest concentrations of PCBs were generally
found in the Lower Fox River and in the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal.
The input flows of ∑PCBs from wet deposition, dry deposition,
tributary loading, and air to water exchange, and the output flows
due to sediment burial, volatilization from water to air, and transport
to Lake Huron and through the Chicago Diversion were calculated, as
well as flows related to the internal processes of settling, resuspension,
and sediment–water diffusion. The net transfer of ∑PCBs
is 1240 ± 531 kg yr<sup>–1</sup> out of the lake. This
net transfer is 46% lower than that estimated in 1994–1995.
PCB concentrations in most matrices in the lake are decreasing, which
drove the decline of all the individual input and output flows. Atmospheric
deposition has become negligible, while volatilization from the water
surface is still a major route of loss, releasing PCBs from the lake
into the air. Large masses of PCBs remain in the water column and
surface sediments and are likely to contribute to the future efflux
of PCBs from the lake to the air
Alternative Flame Retardant, 2,4,6-Tris(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine, in an E‑waste Recycling Facility and House Dust in North America
A high
molecular weight compound, 2,4,6-trisÂ(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine
(TTBP-TAZ), was detected during the analysis of brominated flame retardants
in dust samples collected from an electrical and electronic waste
(e-waste) recycling facility in Ontario, Canada. Gas chromatography
coupled with both high-resolution and low-resolution mass spectrometry
(MS) was used to determine TTBP-TAZ’s chemical structure and
concentrations. To date, TTBP-TAZ has only been detected in plastic
casings of electrical and electronic equipment and house dust from
The Netherlands. Here we report on the concentrations of TTBP-TAZ
in selected samples from North America: e-waste dust (<i>n</i> = 7) and air (<i>n</i> = 4), residential dust (<i>n</i> = 30), and selected outdoor air (<i>n</i> =
146), precipitation (<i>n</i> = 19), sediment (<i>n</i> = 11) and water (<i>n</i> = 2) samples from the Great
Lakes environment. TTBP-TAZ was detected in all the e-waste dust and
air samples, and in 70% of residential dust samples. The median concentrations
of TTBP-TAZ in these three types of samples were 5540 ng/g, 5.75 ng/m<sup>3</sup> and 6.76 ng/g, respectively. The flame retardants 2,4,6-tribromophenol,
trisÂ(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate, and 3,3′,5,5′-tetrabromobisphenol
A bisÂ(2,3-dibromopropyl) ether, BDE-47 and BDE-209 were also measured
for comparison. None of these other flame retardants concentrations
was significantly correlated with those of TTBP-TAZ in any of the
sample types suggesting different sources. TTBP-TAZ was not detected
in any of the outdoor environmental samples, which may relate to its
application history and physicochemical properties. This is the first
report of TTBP-TAZ in North America