A Review of Environmental Occurrence, Fate, and Toxicity of Novel Brominated Flame Retardants

Use of legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), has been reduced due to adverse effects of these chemicals. Several novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), such decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and bis­(2,4,6-tr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2019-12, Vol.53 (23), p.13551-13569
Main Authors: Xiong, Ping, Yan, Xueting, Zhu, Qingqing, Qu, Guangbo, Shi, Jianbo, Liao, Chunyang, Jiang, Guibin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bioaccumulation
Biodegradation
Biological magnification
Bromination
Chemical industry
Consumer products
Disruption
Dust
Ecological risk assessment
Endocrine disruptors
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental risk
Ethane
Ethers
Flame Retardants
Genotoxicity
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers
Humans
Hydrocarbons, Brominated
Organic chemistry
Photodegradation
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers
Retardants
Risk assessment
Sewage
Side effects
Sludge
Soil water
Thermal degradation
Toxicity
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Summary:Use of legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), has been reduced due to adverse effects of these chemicals. Several novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), such decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and bis­(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), have been developed as replacements for PBDEs. NBFRs are used in various industrial and consumer products, which leads to their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment. This article reviews occurrence and fate of a select group of NBFRs in the environment, as well as their human exposure and toxicity. Occurrence of NBFRs in both abiotic, including air, water, dust, soil, sediment and sludge, and biotic matrices, including bird, fish, and human serum, have been documented. Evidence regarding the degradation, including photodegradation, thermal degradation and biodegradation, and bioaccumulation and biomagnification of NBFRs is summarized. The toxicity data of NBFRs show that several NBFRs can cause adverse effects through different modes of action, such as hormone disruption, endocrine disruption, genotoxicity, and behavioral modification. The primary ecological risk assessment shows that most NBFRs exert no significant environmental risk, but it is worth noting that the result should be carefully used owing to the limited toxicity data.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.9b03159