Temporal trends of halogenated flame retardants in the atmosphere of the Canadian Great Lakes Basin (2005-2014). 2018

Chubashini Shunthirasingham, and Nick Alexandrou, and Kenneth A Brice, and Helena Dryfhout-Clark, and Ky Su, and Cecilia Shin, and Richard Park, and Artur Pajda, and Ronald Noronha, and Hayley Hung
Air Quality Processes Research Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin St, ON, M3H 5T4 Canada. Hayley.Hung@canada.ca.

Organic pollutants have been monitored in the atmosphere of the Great Lake Basin (GLB) since the 1990s in support of the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and to determine the effectiveness of source reduction measures and factors influencing air concentrations. Air samples were collected between 2005 and 2014 at three sites with different geographical characteristics (Burnt Island, Egbert and Point Petre) in the Canadian GLB using high-volume air samplers and the air samples were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and several other non-PBDE halogenated flame retardants (HFRs). Spatial and temporal trends of total concentrations of HFRs were examined. BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-209 were the dominant PBDE congeners found at the three sites. For the non-PBDE HFRs, allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (TBP-AE), hexabromobenzene (HBBz), pentabromotoluene (PBT), anti-dechlorane plus (anti-DDC-CO) and syn-dechlorane plus (syn-DDC-CO) were frequently detected. High atmospheric concentrations of PBDEs were found at the Egbert site with a larger population, while lower levels of PBDEs were detected at Point Petre, which is close to urban centers where control measures are in place. The strong temperature dependence of air concentrations indicates that volatilization from local sources influences atmospheric concentrations of BDE-28 and BDE-47 at Point Petre and Burnt Island, while long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) was important for BDE-99. However, a weaker correlation was observed between air concentrations and ambient temperature for non-PBDE HFRs such as TBP-AE and HBBz. Atmospheric PBDE concentrations are decreasing slowly, with half-lives in the range of 2-16 years. Faster declining trends of PBDEs were observed at Point Petre rather than at Burnt Island. As Point Petre is closer to urban centers, faster declining trends may reflect the phase out of technical BDE mixtures in urban centers while LRAT influences the air concentrations at Burnt Island. The levels of syn-DDC-CO and anti-DDC-CO are decreasing at Point Petre and the levels of other non-PBDE HFRs such as TBP-AE, PBT and HBBz are increasing. Long-term declining trends of PBDEs suggest that regulatory efforts to reduce emissions to the GLB environment have been effective but that continuous measurements are required to gain a better understanding of the trends of emerging chemicals in the atmosphere of the GLB.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D002170 Canada The largest country in North America, comprising 10 provinces and three territories. Its capital is Ottawa.
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D005411 Flame Retardants Materials applied to fabrics, bedding, furniture, plastics, etc. to retard their burning; many may leach out and cause allergies or other harm. Fire Retardant,Fire Retardants,Fireproofing Agent,Fireproofing Agents,Flame Retardant,Agent, Fireproofing,Agents, Fireproofing,Retardant, Fire,Retardant, Flame,Retardants, Fire,Retardants, Flame
D006114 Great Lakes Region The geographic area of the Great Lakes in general and when the specific state or states are not indicated. It usually includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
D000393 Air Pollutants Any substance in the air which could, if present in high enough concentration, harm humans, animals, vegetation or materials. Substances include GASES; PARTICULATE MATTER; and volatile ORGANIC CHEMICALS. Air Pollutant,Air Pollutants, Environmental,Environmental Air Pollutants,Environmental Pollutants, Air,Air Environmental Pollutants,Pollutant, Air,Pollutants, Air,Pollutants, Air Environmental,Pollutants, Environmental Air
D001272 Atmosphere The gaseous envelope surrounding a planet or similar body. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Atmospheres
D055768 Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers Compounds that contain two halogenated benzene rings linked via an OXYGEN atom. Many polybrominated diphenyl ethers are used as FLAME RETARDANTS. Brominated Diphenyl Ethers,Chlorinated Diphenyl Ethers,Fluorinated Diphenyl Ethers,Iodinated Diphenyl Ethers,PBDE Compounds,PBDEs,PCDE Compounds,PCDEs,Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers,Diphenyl Ethers, Brominated,Diphenyl Ethers, Chlorinated,Diphenyl Ethers, Fluorinated,Diphenyl Ethers, Halogenated,Diphenyl Ethers, Iodinated,Diphenyl Ethers, Polybrominated,Ethers, Brominated Diphenyl,Ethers, Chlorinated Diphenyl,Ethers, Fluorinated Diphenyl,Ethers, Halogenated Diphenyl,Ethers, Iodinated Diphenyl,Ethers, Polybrominated Diphenyl

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