Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Sediments of the Huron–Erie Corridor

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in 182 sediments from the Huron–Erie Corridor, North America. The median (5–95 percentile) Corridor ∑PBDE concentration was 1.03 ng/g dry wt (0.25–13.48 ng/g dry wt). Dry weight ∑PBDEs were elevated in U.S. waters of the Detroit River (US DR) and lowest in Canadian waters of Lake St. Clair (CA LSC). Sediment total organic carbon (TOC) explained some of the variation in ∑PBDEs, particularly in upstream waterbodies except for the Detroit River where local sources were apparent in the US DR and TOC-dilution occurred in CA DR. Canadian Federal Sediment Quality guidelines were exceeded at 19 stations, 14 occurring in the US DR. ∑Hazard Quotients (∑HQ) had a median (5–95 percentile) Corridor value of 0.46 (ND to 2.27). By strata, 43.2% of US DR stations had ∑HQ’s greater than 1 while 21.3% of US SCR stations exceeded a value of 1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alonso V, Linares V, Bellés M, Albina ML, Pujol A, Domingo JL, Sánchez DJ (2010) Effects of BDE-99 on hormone homeostasis and biochemical parameters in adult male rats. Food Chem Toxicol 48:2206–2211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crimmins BS, Pagano JJ, Xia X, Hopke PK, Milligan MS, Holsen TM (2012) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs): turning the corner in Great Lakes trout 1980–2009. Environ Sci Technol 46:9890–9897

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Darnerud PO, Eriksen GS, Johannesson T, Larsen PB, Viluksela M (2001) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers: occurrence, dietary exposure, and toxicology. Environ Health Perspect 109:49–68

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Detroit River Canadian Heritage Background Report (1998) Canadian Heritage Rivers System, Essex Region Conservation Authority, Essex, Ontario, Canada, 252 pp. http://www.erca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Detroit-River-Heritage-Background-Report-w-appx.pdf. Accessed 2 Oct 2018

  • Drouillard KG, Tomczak M, Reitsma S, Haffner GD (2006) A river-wide survey of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and selected organochlorine pesticide residues in sediments of the Detroit River—1999. J Great Lakes Res 32:209–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Environment and Climate Change Canada (2013) Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines on Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), 25 pp. http://ec.gc.ca/eseees/default.asp?lang=En&n=05DF7A37-1. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Farzana S, Chen J, Pan Y, Wong YS, Tam NF (2016) Antioxidative response of Kandelia obovata, a true mangrove species, to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE-99 and BDE-209) during germination and early growth. Mar Pollut Bull 124:1055–1062

    Google Scholar 

  • Gandhi N, Gewurtz SB, Drouillard KG, Kolic T, MacPherson K, Reiner EJ, Bhavsar SP (2017) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Great Lakes fish: levels, patterns, trends and implications for human exposure. Sci Tot Environ 576:907–916

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hartig JH, Zarull MA (1992) Towards defining aquatic ecosystem health for the Great lakes. J Aquat Eco Health 1:97–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess G (2010) Industry drops flame retardant. Chem Eng News 88:10

    Google Scholar 

  • Ji X, Ding J, Xie X, Cheng Y, Huang Y, Qin L, Han C (2017) Pollution status and human exposure of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in China. ACS Omega 2:3333–3348

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiao X, Wang Y, Chen S, Liu J, Tian Q, Hou L, Lu G, Yang Y (2018) A comparison of concentrations and congener patterns of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in seasonally sampled outdoor air from a farmland area in Guangzhou, South China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 100:389–394

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larsson P (1985) Contaminated sediments of lakes and oceans act as sources of chlorinated hydrocarbons for relase to water and atmosphere. Nature 317:347–349

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li A, Rockne KJ, Sturchio N, Song W, Ford JC, Buckley DR, Mills WJ (2006) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the sediments of the Great Lakes: 4. Influencing factors, trends, and implications. Environ Sci Technol 40:7528–7534

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marvin C, Waltho J, Jia J, Burniston D (2013) Spatial distributions and temporal trends in polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Detroit River suspended sediments. Chemosphere 91:778–783

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson C, Drouillard K, Cheng K, Elliott J, Ismail N (2015) Accumulation of PBDEs in an urban river otter population and an unusual finding of BDE-209. Chemosphere 118:322–328

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shi S, Zhang L, Yang W, Zhou L, Dong L, Huang Y (2014) Levels and spatial distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in surface soil from the Yangtze River Delta, China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 93:752–757

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song, M, Chu S, Letcher RJ, Seth R (2006) Fate, partitioning, and mass loading of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDes) during the treatment processing of municipal sewage. Environ Sci Technol 40:6241–6246

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song W, Ford JC, Li A, Sturchio NC, Rockne KJ, Buckley DR, Mills WJ (2004) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the sediments of the Great Lakes: 1. Lake superior. Environ Sci Technol 38:3286–3293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song W, Ford JC, Li A, Sturchio NC, Rockne KJ, Buckley DR, Mills WJ (2005a) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the sediments of the Great Lakes: 2. Lakes Michigan and Huron. Environ Sci Technol 39:3474–3479

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song W, Ford JC, Li A, Sturchio NC, Rockne KJ, Buckley DR, Mills WJ (2005b) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the sediments of the Great Lakes: 3. Lakes Ontario and Erie. Environ Sci Technol 39:5600–5605

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Su Y, Hung H, Brice KA, Su K, Alexandrou N, Blanchard P, Chan E, Sverko E, Fellin P (2009) Air concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in 2002–2004 at a rural site in the Great Lakes. Atm Environ 43:6230–6237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szalinska E, Drouillard KJ, Fryer B, Haffner GD (2006) Distribution of heavy metals in sediments of the Detroit River. J Great Lakes Res 32:442–454

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szalinska E, Drouillard KG, Anderson EJ, Haffner GD (2011) Factors influencing contaminant distribution in the Huron-Erie Corridor sediments. J Great Lakes Res 37:132–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szalinska E, Grgicak-Mannion A, Haffner GD, Drouillard KG (2013) Assessment of decadal changes in sediment contamination in a large connecting channel (Detroit River, North America). Chemosphere 93:1773–1781

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi S, Shin-ichi S, Watanabe I (2006) An intercalibration study on organobromine compounds: results on polybrominated diphenylethers and related dioxin-like compounds. Chemosphere 64:234–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UGLCCS (Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study) (1988) Final Report of the upper Great Lakes connecting channels study: volume II. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ontario Ministry of Environment, 636 pp. http://www.enpis.epa.gov. Accessed 2 Oct 2018

  • Wania F, Dugani CB (2003) Assessing the long-range transport potential of polybrominated diphenyl ethers: a comparison of four multimedia models. Environ Toxicol Chem 22:1252–1261

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yue C, Li LY (2013) Filling the gap: estimating physical properties of the full array of polybrominated diphenyl eithers (PBDEs). Environ Pollut 180:312–323

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J, Wang Y, Zhou B, Sun KM, Tang X (2016) Reproductive effects of two polybrominated diphenyl ethers on the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 97:198–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by a Great Lakes Sustainability Fund (Environment Climate Change Canada, Grant No. ARN13-305) grant and Canada-Ontario Agreement funds (Environment Ministry Conservation and Parks, Ontario) to Ken G. Drouillard and Alice Grgicak-Mannion. Additional support was provided by Esri Canada via scholarship support of Mr. Joe Lafontaine and in-kind contributions to GIS software to the University of Windsor.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B3P4, Canada

    Ken G. Drouillard, Joseph Lafontaine, Nargis Ismail & Alice Grgicak-Mannion

  2. School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, Yunnan, China

    Yu Qian

  3. Department of Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada

    Kerry McPhedran

  4. Department of Environment Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland

    Ewa Szalinska

Authors
  1. Ken G. Drouillard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu Qian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joseph Lafontaine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nargis Ismail
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kerry McPhedran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ewa Szalinska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Alice Grgicak-Mannion
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ken G. Drouillard.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Drouillard, K.G., Qian, Y., Lafontaine, J. et al. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Sediments of the Huron–Erie Corridor. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 102, 450–456 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02581-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02581-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation