Hexabromocyclododecane Flame Retardant Isomers in Sediments from Detroit River and Lake Erie of the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2015-07, Vol.95 (1), p.31-36
• Main Authors: Letcher, Robert J., Lu, Zhe, Chu, Shaogang, Haffner, G. Douglas, Drouillard, Ken, Marvin, Christopher H., Ciborowski, Jan J. H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Basins; Chemical contaminants; Chromatography, Liquid; Contaminated sediments; Contamination; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Flame retardants; Flame Retardants - analysis; Freshwater; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Great Lakes Region; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - analysis; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - chemistry; Isomerism; Isomers; Lake Erie; Lakes; Lakes - chemistry; Liquid chromatography; Mass Spectrometry; Pollution; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Sediment samplers; Sediments; Sludge; Soil Science & Conservation; Toxicity; Waste Water Technology; Wastewater treatment plants; Water analysis; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; Water sampling
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-015-1491-y

Sediments collected in 2004 from along the Detroit River (n = 19) and across all of Lake Erie (n = 18) were analyzed for isomers of the flame retardant chemical, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Sediment samples had ΣHBCD concentrations ranging from not detected to 1.6 ng/g d.w. γ-HBCD (56 %–100 % of ΣHBCDs) was the predominate isomer, observed in 7 of 19 samples from the Detroit River and 6 of 18 samples from Lake Erie (all within the western basin). α-HBCD was found in 4 Detroit River and 2 Lake Erie western basin sites, while β-HBCD was only in two Detroit River samples. High ΣHBCD concentrations (>100 ng/g d.w.) were found in two sludge samples from two Windsor, ON, wastewater treatment plants that feed into the Detroit River upstream. HBCD contamination into the Detroit River is a major input vector into Lake Erie and with an apparent sediment dilution effect moving towards the eastern basin.