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Levels and gas-particle partitioning of hexabromocyclododecanes in the urban air of Dalian, China

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Abstract

The concentrations of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane diastereomers (HBCDs) in gas phase and particulate phase of Dalian urban air, China, were monitored from September 2016 to August 2017 with high-volume active sampler. The total concentration of ∑HBCDs (gas phase + particulate phase) ranged from 15.47 to 43.57 pg m−3, with an average of 27.07 pg m−3, and 73.39–96.76% of the total HBCDs were found in the particulate phase. No matter in gas phase or in particulate phase, α-HBCD was the predominant component in all, and there was a good negative correlation between the relative contribution of α-HBCD to ∑HBCDs and that of γ-HBCD to ∑HBCDs. The average ratios of the air concentration of α-HBCD to γ-HBCD were comparable with those found in decorative polystyrene, which indicated that HBCDs in outdoor air of Dalian probably came from indoor air and ventilation air from inside of buildings coupled with the already present contamination in background air. There were clear seasonal differences in the HBCD concentrations. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis between the concentrations of HBCDs with meteorological parameters was conducted. The exposure risk of HBCDs was evaluated, which illustrated that the estimated exposure of HBCDs via the outdoor air in Dalian was well below the reference doses (200 ng kg−1 bw day−1) derived by the US National Research Council.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21577009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian, 116028, China

    Yan Li, Xiuhua Zhu, Wei Wang & Xuewei Dong

  2. Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China

    Longxing Wang, Yuan Gao & Jiping Chen

  3. Dalian Meteorological Observatory, Dalian, 116001, China

    Xiaoxiao Li

Authors
  1. Yan Li
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  2. Xiuhua Zhu
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  4. Yuan Gao
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  6. Wei Wang
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  7. Xuewei Dong
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  8. Xiaoxiao Li
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xiuhua Zhu or Jiping Chen.

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Responsible editor: Constantini Samara

Electronic supplementary material

Detailed description of the sampling scheme (Table S1); Concentration (pg m−3) of ∑HBCDs in the atmosphere of different countries and regions (Table S2); Meteorology parameters and TSP values of four seasons during the sampling period (Table S3); The relative percentage of HBCDs in gas phase and particulate phase (Fig. S1); Average fractional contributions of a-, β-, and γ-HBCD concentrations to ΣHBCDs concentrations in gas phase and particulate phase (Fig. S2 and Fig. S3).

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Li, Y., Zhu, X., Wang, L. et al. Levels and gas-particle partitioning of hexabromocyclododecanes in the urban air of Dalian, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 27514–27523 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2793-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2793-5

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