Occurrence of brominated flame retardants other than polybrominated diphenyl ethers in environmental and biota samples from southern China.

The concentrations of three currently used non-polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) brominated flame retardants (BFRs), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and tetrabromobisphenol A bis (2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-DBPE), were examined in environmental and biota samples collected from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and an electronic waste (e-waste) area in southern China. We also examined deca-BDE (decabromodiphenyl ether) and nine tri- through hepta-BDE congeners for comparison. The results indicate that these non-PBDE BFRs occur widely in the environment of the two study areas. We found a noticeable increase in the levels of TBBPA-DBPE and DBDPE in recent sediments, the concentrations of which even exceed those of BDE209 (deca-BDE) in some samples from the PRD. The BFR profiles of the two study areas are distinct. Relatively high proportions of DBDPE and TBBPA-DBPE were found in the PRD environment, whereas the levels of discontinued BFRs (penta-BDEs and BDE183) and BTBPE were higher in the e-waste area. Our results suggest that the industrial activities in the PRD and the recycling of e-waste have introduced distinct types of BFR contamination to the ambient environment and deca-BDE product has been partly replaced by the TBBPA-DBPE and DBDPE in the PRD. Furthermore, BTBPE and DBDPE were detected in bird tissues and BTBPE in the fish tissues collected from the e-waste area. This is the first report of the occurrence of TBBPA-DBPE in environmental samples worldwide. More studies are needed for reaching a better understanding of the behavior, bioaccumulation, and toxicology of these increasingly used BFRs in the environment.

[Source and distribution characteristic of atmospheric organochlorine pesticides in the Pearl River Estuary and adjacent South China Sea].

Ship-board air samples were collected during the winter and spring cruise to the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and adjacent South China Sea (SCS) in 2003 and were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). Meanwhile, air samples were collected at land-based sites in Guangzhou and Zhongshan for comparison. Results indicated that the detected OCPs were mainly of HCHs, DDTs and chlordane, its concentration ranged between 13-99, 73-390, 63-224 pg/m3 and 10-106, 429-1003, 1724-9638 pg/m3 during the winter and spring cruise, respectively. In general, the concentrations of OCPs were higher during spring cruise than in winter cruise. The measured OCPs concentration in the atmosphere over the PRE and adjacent SCS were found higher at sites close to continent and lower in outer sea, it is suggested that land-based source were to play a key role in the delivery of atmospheric OCPs. The alpha-HCH concentrations had significantly declined, higher gamma-HCH level may attribute to the present usage of lindane. Dicofol application and antifouling paints for fishing ships was suggested to be the important current "fresh" DDT source. The observed high level of chlordane during spring cruise could be related to the large amount usage of chlordane for termite control, as well as the long range transport from the west pacific region.

Time trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediment cores from the Pearl River Estuary, South China.

The present study provides information on the time trend of PBDEs in three sediment cores from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China, using 210Pb dating technique. The sigmaPBDEs (except for BDE 209) concentrations in all sediment cores increased gradually from the bottom (mid-1970s) to the middle layer (later 1980s and early 1990s) followed by different temporal trends in different locations to the surface sediments, reflecting the variations in the consumption of commercial penta-BDEs mixture in different regions of the Pearl River Delta. The BDE 209 concentrations remained constant until 1990 and thereafter increased exponentially to the present, with doubling times of 2.6 +/- 0.5-6.4 +/- 1.6 years, suggesting the increasing market demands for deca-BDE mixture after 1990 in China. The inventories of sigmaPBDEs and BDE 209 in sediments of the PRE were 56.0 and 368.2 ng cm(-2), respectively, and the total burden of PBDEs in the PRE were estimated at 8.6 metric tons. The current sigmaPBDEs and BDE 209 fluxes to the PRE were 2.1 and 29.7 ng cm(-2) yr(-1), respectively. The concurrent increase of BDE 209 fluxes and the annual gross industrial output values of electronics manufacturing revealed that the rapid growth of electronics manufacturing in this region since the early 1990s was responsible for the sharp rise of BDE 209 fluxes in the past decade. The PBDE congener compositions of the cores indicated the various input pathways for PBDEs transport to different locations of the estuary.

[Study on heavy metals in soils contaminated by acid mine drainage from Dabaoshan mine, Guangdong].

Mining activities in the Dabaoshan area in the upper reach of the Hengshihe River have caused severe environmental changes, the waste water of milling and refining drained directly into the Hengshihe River, which contaminated the soils along the river severely. It is shown that Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu have contaminated the soil, the Cd contamination was more severe, and the contaminated level of Pb, Zn reached moderately to strongly polluted. The pH value of river and soil affected directly the heavy metals concentration of total and exchangeable ions, and presented negative pertinences. The levels of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in the surface soil of Shangbacun village in the lower reach of the river were found as high as 257.762, 350.235, 5.083 and 186.901 mg x kg(-1) respectively, which were relatively higher than those of the background values of soil 1.03, 1.75, 16.9 and 3.7 times respectively, and the result on the soil profiles showed that the contaminations have infiltrated into lower layer soil, ecological environment was harmed severely.

[Over one hundred year sedimentary record of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Pearl River Estuary, South China].

The western shoal of the Lingding Bay is known to be an important deposition zone of terrestrial substance in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). In this study, the vertical variations of concentration and fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) are investigated in a core from the west shoal of Lingding Bay. In combining with 210Pb-dating, the PAHs sedimentary record in the last 100 years is reconstructed. The sigmaPAH concentration ranged from 59 ng x g(-1) to 330 ng x g(-1) throughout the core with two distinct peaks. An initial increase in sigmaPAH concentration was found around the 1860s, followed with the first maximum in the 1950s. There was a decrease in total PAHs concentration and flux in 1960s and 1970s. A sharp increase in PAHs levels was observed from 1980s and a maximum was found in the 1990s. PAHs diagnostic ratios indicate that PAH in the sediment core are mainly of pyrolytic origin. PAHs concentrations are found to correlate positively with the Gross Domestic Production, vehicle numbers and power generation in the surrounding regions, indicating that the PAHs in the sediment core are mainly anthropogenic. Atmospheric deposition and land runoff may serve as the important pathway of PAHs input to the sediment.