Bioaccumulation of different congeners of Poly-Brominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in muscle tissue of males and females of Clupea harengus from the North Sea

In the last decades, high concentrations of flame retardants (PBDE) in marine organisms have caused increasing concern among scientists with regards to their biomagnification potential and to human health. Poly-Brominated Diphenyl Ethers have been widely used in the past as flame retardants in various industrial sectors, and their presence in the biota has been associated with different toxicological effects. In this study, concentrations of 9 congeners of PBDE (183, 85, 153, 154, 99, 100, 47, 66 and 28) and morphometric parameters (Total Length, TL; Fork Length, FL in cm and weight) have been measured in muscle of males and females of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). Results showed no statistical differences between the concentrations of most of the congeners analysed between the two sexes, except for PBDE 153 (Mean ± standard error in males = 0.034 ± 0.005 μg/kg and in females = 0.086 ± 0.040 μg/kg; p = 0.003). This research contributes to better comprehend the ecotoxicological properties of these molecules and their implications for human consumption.

Occurrence and Distribution of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Sediments from Nairobi River Basin, Kenya, East Africa

This study was set to determine the levels and spatial distribution of selected PBDEs in sediments of Nairobi River during the four seasons experienced in Nairobi. Sediment samples were collected from nine sites along the river and analyzed for brominated diphenyl ethers 28, 47, 66, 85, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183 using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer. The mean concentration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers residue in sediment samples ranged between 134.70±3.07 to 24386.13±207.22 ng/Kg. The high mean concentration of PBDEs in the river sediments indicates that anthropogenic activities along the Nairobi River basin have contributed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers contamination of the river sediment posing a potential risk to aquatic organisms that inhabit the river.

In-cell clean-up pressurized liquid extraction for the analysis of brominated diphenyl ethers in sewage sludge by GC-NCI-MS

An automated and sensitive method based on in-cell clean-up pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 14 brominated diphenyl ethers in sewage sludge samples.