Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether PBDE

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Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Flame
Retardants in San Francisco Bay Daniel R. Oros,
Ph.D. San Francisco Estuary Institute
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PBDEs are HOT contaminants!
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• PBDEs are HOT contaminants!
• Persistent long lived in the environment

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• PBDEs are HOT contaminants!
• Persistent long lived in the environment
• Bioaccumulative transport through food webs

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• PBDEs are HOT contaminants!
• Persistent long lived in the environment
• Bioaccumulative transport through food webs
• Dispersed world-wide contamination in humans,
  animals, our food sources and environment

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• PBDEs are HOT contaminants!
• Persistent long lived in the environment
• Bioaccumulative transport through food webs
• Dispersed world-wide contamination in humans,
  animals, our food sources and environment
• Endocrine disruptors target the thyroid

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PBDE Commercial Mixtures and Major Congeners
Penta
BDE-99
BDE-47
BDE-100
BDE-154
BDE-153
Deca
Octa
BDE-209
BDE-183
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• PBDEs Banned in California
• Ban on Penta and Octa mixtures, but not Deca,
  will be in effect on June 1, 2006
• The ban might not be very effective at decreasing
  environmental PBDE concentrations
• North America use of PBDEs Deca (75),
• Penta (21) and Octa (4) of total mass
• Deca degrades to lower molecular weight PBDE
  congeners

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Distribution of PBDEs in SF Bay Water 2002
?PBDEs range 3-513 pg/L
Source RMP
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Distribution of PBDEs in SF Bay Sediments 2002
?PBDEs range 0.2-212 ng/g dry wt
Source RMP
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Distributions of PBDEs in SF Bay Bivalves 2002
?PBDEs range (dry wt) Mussels 13-47 ng/g Oysters
9-64 ng/g Clams 85-106 ng/g
Source RMP
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Distributions of PBDEs in SF Bay Bivalves
2001-2003
Source RMP
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Distributions of PBDEs in SF Bay Fish 1997 and
2002
Source EWG, 2003
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Distributions of PBDEs in SF Bay Tern Eggs.
Foresters tern eggs showed the highest ever
reported PBDE levels in wildlife 63 ppm
Source She et al., 2004
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• Current work in the Bay
• PBDE Conceptual Model and Impairment Assessment
  funded by RMP and CEP
• Identify PBDE Sources
• Estimate PBDE Loading
• Assess Extent of Bay Impairment from PBDEs

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• Major Sources of PBDEs to the Environment
• Wastewater effluents
• Sludge disposal
• Volatilization from commercial products
• Burning of disposed commercial products
• Other Suspected Sources
• Atmospheric deposition (e.g., autofluff piles)
• Tributary inflow (stormwater runoff)

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Like PCBs, the PBDEs in Guadalupe River are
strongly associated with suspended sediments
Source RMP
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
9-10 Br Atoms 10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
7-10 Br Atoms
9-10 Br Atoms 10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
BDE-209 is not detected at 30 min
7-9 Br Atoms
7-10 Br Atoms
9-10 Br Atoms 10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
5-8 Br Atoms
BDE-209 is not detected at 30 min
7-9 Br Atoms
7-10 Br Atoms
9-10 Br Atoms 10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
4-7 Br Atoms
5-8 Br Atoms
BDE-209 is not detected at 30 min
7-9 Br Atoms
7-10 Br Atoms
9-10 Br Atoms 10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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Sunlight degrades BDE-209 to lower molecular
weight congeners (Source Bezares-Cruz et al.,
2004).
3-7 Br Atoms
4-7 Br Atoms
5-8 Br Atoms
BDE-209 is not detected at 30 min
7-9 Br Atoms
7-10 Br Atoms
9-10 Br Atoms 10 Br Atoms (BDE-209)
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• Closing
• The Bay Area appears to be a Hot Spot for PBDEs
• The CA ban on Penta and Octa, but not Deca, might
  not result in an immediate and significant
  decrease in environmental PBDE levels
• Water and sediment quality criteria have not yet
  been developed for PBDEs, but they are coming.

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• Acknowledgements
• RMP
• AXYS Analytical Services Ltd
• East Bay Municipal Utility District
• CA Dept of Fish and Game
• SFEI