A miniature bird-borne passive air sampler for monitoring halogenated flame retardants

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2017-12, Vol.599-600, p.1903-1911
• Main Authors: Sorais, Manon, Rezaei, Ali, Okeme, Joseph O., Diamond, Miriam L., Izquierdo, Ricardo, Giroux, Jean-François, Verreault, Jonathan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Animals; Atmospheric exposure; Bird; Charadriiformes; Environmental Monitoring - instrumentation; Flame Retardants - analysis; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Halogenated flame retardant; Passive air sampling; Quebec; Urban pollution
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.246

Birds have been used intensively as biomonitors of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), and several studies have reported elevated tissue concentrations and inter-individual variability for these contaminants. While diet is known to be an important exposure pathway for HFRs in birds, it has been suggested that exposure through air may represent an underestimated source of HFRs for certain species. However, a method was not available for measuring the atmospheric exposure of individual birds to HFRs or other semi-volatile contaminants. The goal of this study was to develop a bird-borne passive air sampler (PAS) enabling the determination of individual atmospheric exposure to gas- and particle-phase HFRs using the ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) nesting in the Montreal area (QC, Canada). The new miniaturized elliptical-shaped PAS (mean weight: 2.72g) was tested using two sorbent types during three exposure periods (one, two and three weeks). Results showed that PAS using polyurethane foam (PUF) combined with a glass fiber filter collected all major polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and exhibited better performance for collecting highly hydrophobic DecaBDE mixture congeners compared to the PAS using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Emerging HFRs including hexabromobenzene, Dechlorane 604 Component B, and Dechlorane plus (DP) isomers also were sampled by the PUF-based PAS. Sampling rates for most HFRs were comparable between the three exposure periods. This novel bird-borne PAS provides valuable information on the non-dietary exposure of free-ranging birds to HFRs. [Display omitted] •Gulls from the Montreal area accumulate high levels of flame retardants (FRs).•A novel passive air sampler was developed to determine FR exposure in birds.•Polyurethane foam combined to a glass fiber filter showed best sampling performance.•Major PBDEs and several emerging FRs were detected in passive air samplers.•Profiles of FRs in passive air samplers were consistent with North American air.