Investigating the photolytic degradation of novel monomeric and polymeric brominated flame retardants: analytical characterization, acute ecotoxicological effects and influence of sample storage
Esther Smollich, Valentina I. Merkus, Katharina Klein, Torsten C. Schmidt, Bernd Sures
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Abstract
Background
The environmental degradation of novel brominated flame retardants (BFRs) is largely unknown. Here, the photolytic degradation of the two novel BFRs, PolymericFR and Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis (2,3-dibrom-2-methyl-propyl) ether (TBBPA-BDBMPE), has been investigated by studying the chemical composition and ecotoxicological effects of their degradation mixtures. Furthermore, the stability of those mixtures during sample storage under different conditions has been examined.
Results
In the analytical characterization of the degradation mixtures, 14 previously identified degradation products and the sum formulas of six novel products of PolymericFR, as well as 22 sum formulas for previously unknown degradation products for TBBPA-BDBMPE, were detected in a suspect screening. The number of detected products increased with longer exposures to UV light and after the frozen storage of the samples. The freezing/thawing of the photolysis degradation mixtures led specifically to the detection of more polybrominated degradation products for both BFRs. The acute exposure of Desmodesmus subspicatus and Daphnia magna to the degradation mixtures did not affect the green algae but led to the immobility of the invertebrates at high concentrations.
Conclusions
The results suggest that the effects of the degradation mixtures of PolymericFR and TBBPA-BDBMPE on daphnids increase with advancing photolysis. This highlights the importance of photolytic degradation processes for the hazard assessment of polymeric and monomeric brominated flame retardants. Additionally, the sample storage assessment results suggest that the degradation mixtures of brominated flame retardants should not be frozen for their storage, to avoid unintended changes in sample composition and ecotoxicological effects.
期刊介绍：
ESEU is an international journal, focusing primarily on Europe, with a broad scope covering all aspects of environmental sciences, including the main topic regulation.
ESEU will discuss the entanglement between environmental sciences and regulation because, in recent years, there have been misunderstandings and even disagreement between stakeholders in these two areas. ESEU will help to improve the comprehension of issues between environmental sciences and regulation.
ESEU will be an outlet from the German-speaking (DACH) countries to Europe and an inlet from Europe to the DACH countries regarding environmental sciences and regulation.
Moreover, ESEU will facilitate the exchange of ideas and interaction between Europe and the DACH countries regarding environmental regulatory issues.
Although Europe is at the center of ESEU, the journal will not exclude the rest of the world, because regulatory issues pertaining to environmental sciences can be fully seen only from a global perspective.
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