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A 21-year record of methoxylated and hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments from the East China Sea

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Abstract

Sediments are major sinks for organic pollutants and therefore can be used as archives of pollutant history. Methoxylated (MeO-) and hydroxylated (OH-) polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are of increasing concern because of their potential toxicity and worldwide distribution. However, there is limited information on these compounds in marine environments. Here we determined the contents of nine MeO-PBDE, ten OH-PBDE and total organic carbon in a sediment core collected from the inner shelf of the East China Sea in 2009. The historical trends of 6-MeO-BDE47, 6-OH-BDE47 and total organic carbon were reconstructed. Our results show that 6-MeO-BDE47 concentrations present no significant trend from 1987 to 2005 and then increase from 2005 to 2008. 6-OH-BDE47 concentrations generally increase slightly from 1987 to the end of the 1990s and then decrease. Comparisons between 6-OH-BDE47 and 6-MeO-BDE47 as well as total organic carbon suggest that 6-OH-BDE47 is mainly from terrigenous inputs.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation (Grant Numbers, 21407086 and 21477138), the Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation (20151BAB213038), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2013M541052) and Doctor Fund of Qingdao Agricultural University (63311330).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangxi Institute of Analysis and Test, Nanchang, 330029, China

    Ying Fan

  2. CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China

    Zongshan Zhao

  3. 6th Detachment of China Marine Surveillance, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, 361012, China

    Fubo Yu

  4. College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700, Changcheng Road, Qingdao, 266109, China

    Jing Lan

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  1. Ying Fan
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  2. Zongshan Zhao
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Correspondence to Jing Lan.

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Fan, Y., Zhao, Z., Yu, F. et al. A 21-year record of methoxylated and hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments from the East China Sea. Environ Chem Lett 15, 679–687 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-017-0637-z

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