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Legacy and alternative flame retardants in typical freshwater cultured fish ponds of South China: Implications for evolving industry and pollution control.

Jing Liu,Chan Liang,Bo Peng,Yu-Yu Zhang,Liang-Ying Liu,E. Zeng

Published 2020 in Science of the Total Environment

ABSTRACT

The production and usage of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) has been gradually phased out and the application of alternative halogenated flame retardants (AHFRs) has been continuously increased. It is essential to understand how the evolving flame retardants industry has affected the occurrence and flux of legacy and alternative flame retardants so that better pollution control measures can be made accordingly. Air, rainwater, inflowing river water, pond water, pond sediment, fish feed, and fish collected from freshwater cultured fish ponds (FWCFPs) within the Pearl River Delta, South China were analyzed for PBDEs and AHFRs. Concentrations of AHFRs in air (range; median: 7.8-870; 210 pg m-3), rainwater (0.88-65; 4.8 ng L-1), and sediment (19-120; 54 ng g-1 dry weight (d.w.)) were one order of magnitude higher than those of PBDEs in air (12-98; 21 pg m-3), rainwater (0.18-15; 0.70 ng L-1), and sediment (1.5-9.6, 2.9 ng g-1 d.w.) (t-test; p < 0.05). Decabromodiphenyl ether and decabromodiphenylethane were the predominant BDE and AHFR components, respectively, agreeing well with the production and usage patterns of flame retardants in China. The average input fluxes of AHFRs to the FWCFPs via dry deposition, wet deposition, net air-water exchange, and feeding (38.6, 20.6, and 2.14, μg m-2 yr-1) were one order of magnitude higher than those of PBDEs (3.44, 5.17, and -10.1, μg m-2 yr-1). Elevated occurrence and input fluxes of AHFRs suggested that aquaculture production is potentially facing a new challenge from alternative flame retardants. Atmospheric dry and wet deposition are important input sources of AHFRs to the FWCFPs. Feeding is an important input pathway for both PBDEs and AHFRs. Pollution control measures should be modified to accommodate the evolving flame retardants industry.

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