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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in combusted residues and soils from an open burning site of electronic wastes

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Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to their extensive use. Combusted residue from electronic waste (e-waste) combustion is one of the contamination sources because PBDEs may be deposited in the soil and transported to remote locations. The transport and deposition behaviors of PBDEs released from burning were evaluated by analyzing their concentrations and congener distributions. Total PBDE concentrations were detected in the range from 2379 to 6238 ng/g (dry weight) in the combusted residue samples collected from a large open burning site and from 247.4 to 1422.3 ng/g in soil samples collected from different locations close to the open burning site. BDE-209, 183, 153, 99, and 47 were detected in relative high concentrations in both combusted residue and soil samples. The interpretation of the PBDEs concentrations and congener patterns in the combusted residue and soil samples indicated that PBDEs contamination in soil might be a result of e-waste burning and transportation, and deposit of the combusted residue. The total PBDE concentrations decreased significantly with increasing distance from the burned site, suggesting that the combusted activities were the major source of PBDEs in the region and the transportation behavior of lower brominated congeners might not differ from that of higher brominated congeners for short distances.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC21007077and NSFC21175025) and FRG2/11-12/118 is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, People’s Republic of China

    Qian Luo & Zijian Wang

  2. Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Qian Luo & Zongwei Cai

  3. Department of Biology, Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Hong Wong

Authors
  1. Qian Luo
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  2. Ming Hong Wong
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  3. Zijian Wang
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  4. Zongwei Cai
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Correspondence to Zijian Wang or Zongwei Cai.

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Luo, Q., Wong, M.H., Wang, Z. et al. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in combusted residues and soils from an open burning site of electronic wastes. Environ Earth Sci 69, 2633–2641 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-2084-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-2084-2

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