TY - JOUR

T1 - Organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in the aquatic environment

T2 - A case study of the Elbe River, Germany

AU - Wolschke, Hendrik

AU - Sühring, Roxana

AU - Xie, Zhiyong

AU - Ebinghaus, Ralf

PY - 2015/11

Y1 - 2015/11

N2 - This study reports the occurrence and distribution of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers (OPEs) in the Elbe and Rhine rivers. A special focus of this investigation concerns the potential impacts of a major flood event in 2013 on the OPE patterns and levels in the Elbe River. In this river, 6 of 13 OPEs were detected, with tris-ethyl-phosphate (TEP, 168 ± 44 ng/L), tris-1,3-dichloro-2-propyl-phosphate (TDCPP, 155 ± 14 ng/L) and tris-1-chloro-2-propyl phosphate (TCPP, 126 ± 14 ng/L) identified as the dominant compounds. Relative to previous studies, an increase in the concentrations and relative contributions of TDCPP to the total level of OPEs was observed, which was likely caused by its increased use as a replacement for the technical pentaBDE formulation. During the flood event, the concentrations of OPEs were similar to the normal situation, but the mass fluxes increased by a factor of approximately ten (∼16 kg/d normal versus ∼160 kg/d flood peak). No input hotspots were identified along the transects of the Elbe and Rhine rivers, and the mass flux of OPEs appeared to be driven by water discharge.

AB - This study reports the occurrence and distribution of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers (OPEs) in the Elbe and Rhine rivers. A special focus of this investigation concerns the potential impacts of a major flood event in 2013 on the OPE patterns and levels in the Elbe River. In this river, 6 of 13 OPEs were detected, with tris-ethyl-phosphate (TEP, 168 ± 44 ng/L), tris-1,3-dichloro-2-propyl-phosphate (TDCPP, 155 ± 14 ng/L) and tris-1-chloro-2-propyl phosphate (TCPP, 126 ± 14 ng/L) identified as the dominant compounds. Relative to previous studies, an increase in the concentrations and relative contributions of TDCPP to the total level of OPEs was observed, which was likely caused by its increased use as a replacement for the technical pentaBDE formulation. During the flood event, the concentrations of OPEs were similar to the normal situation, but the mass fluxes increased by a factor of approximately ten (∼16 kg/d normal versus ∼160 kg/d flood peak). No input hotspots were identified along the transects of the Elbe and Rhine rivers, and the mass flux of OPEs appeared to be driven by water discharge.

KW - Flood event

KW - Organophosphorus flame retardants

KW - River water

KW - TCPP

KW - TDCPP

KW - Chemistry

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939809712&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.08.002

DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.08.002

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 26284344

AN - SCOPUS:84939809712

VL - 206

SP - 488

EP - 493

JO - Environmental Pollution

JF - Environmental Pollution

SN - 0269-7491

ER -