Time Trends of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Antarctic Biota.

ABSTRACT: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are "emerged" contaminants that were produced and used as flame retardants in numerous consumer and industrial applications for decades until banned. They remain ubiquitously present in the environment today. Here, a unique set of >200 biotic samples from the Antarctic was analyzed for PBDEs, including phytoplankton, krill, fish, and fur seal milk, spanning several sampling seasons over 14 years. PBDE-47 and -99 were the dominant congeners determined in all samples, constituting >60% of total PBDEs. A temporal trend was observed for ∑₇PBDE concentrations in fur seal milk, where concentrations significantly increased (R² = 0.57, p < 0.05) over time (2000-2014). Results for krill and phytoplankton also suggested incre

SUBMITTER: Markham E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6045470 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature