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Spatial Distribution and Congener Profiles of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Surface Sediment from Sanmen Bay and Xiamen Bay, Southeast China

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Abstract

Coastal areas are influenced by anthropogenic input of a variety of organic pollutants, among which polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) represent an important group. In the present study, we investigated the contamination status of PBDEs in surface sediment from two economically important Bays in Southeast China, Sanmen Bay (SMB; n = 29) and Xiamen Bay (XMB; n = 10). Concentrations of ∑PBDEs ranged from 2.2 to 78.5 ng/g dw (median 5.7 ng/g dw) in SMB and 7.9–276.0 ng/g dw (median 43.5 ng/g dw) in XMB, respectively. A nearshore-offshore decreasing trend was observed for both ∑PBDEs and BDE-209 concentrations, indicating strong urban influences. Although the current levels would not produce any significant impact on benthos and aquatic ecosystems of the studied regions, continuous monitoring is needed to understand the temporal trends of contamination in the important coastal waters and whether sediment-associated PBDEs constitute a potential source to aquatic ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

This present study was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFC1404300) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41676144).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Harmful Algae and Marine Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Kunyan Liu, Yong Qiu, Xiaodong Wang & Yan Wang

  2. College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China

    Shanshan Zhou

  3. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Kunde Lin

  4. School of Environment and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Da Chen, Han Qu & Yongxia Hu

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  1. Kunyan Liu
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  2. Yong Qiu
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  4. Kunde Lin
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Correspondence to Yongxia Hu or Yan Wang.

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Liu, K., Qiu, Y., Zhou, S. et al. Spatial Distribution and Congener Profiles of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Surface Sediment from Sanmen Bay and Xiamen Bay, Southeast China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 103, 597–603 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02681-3

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