Experimental design.

Abstract

Two HDPE and PVC plastic plates were supplemented with decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE-209) or bisphenol S (BPS) at a concentration of 1% (w/w). Plastic plates were cut in 5 mm x 5 mm x 1 mm square pieces. A total of 300 pieces of each polymer with 1% PBDE-209 were incubated in 100 ml of salt water under agitation (150 rpm; RT; in the dark) for three weeks with polychlorinated biphenyl -28 and -138 (PCB-28 and PCB-138). To study the influence of lipids, enzymes, proteins and acidity, ten plastic pieces (HDPE or PVC) containing either 1% BPS or 1% PBDE-209 + PCBs-28 and -138 were exposed to either (i) salmon (ii) calanus oil, (iii) an acidic albumin-pepsin solution (iv) an acidic pepsin solution or (v) acidic water for 20 hours at 38°C. Hexane and milli-Q water were used as controls. To study the influence of contact time on the release of chemicals, 10 plastic pieces containing either 1% BPS or 1% PBDE-209 + PCB-28 and -138 were incubated in the Procellariiform gastric model (PGM), containing an acidic albumin-pepsin solution mixed either with salmon oil or calanus oil for 100 hours. This gastric solution was replaced every 20 hours. Controls of water mixed with hexane were run in parallel.</p