Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Environ Int. 2013 Sep;59:232-43. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2013.06.011. Epub 2013 Jul 9.
The occurrence, partitioning and risk of eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), nine new brominated (NBFRs) and ten organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) were evaluated in three Spanish rivers suffering different anthropogenic pressures (Nalón, Arga and Besòs). OPFRs were ubiquitous contaminants in water (ΣOPFRs ranging from 0.0076 to 7.2μgL(-1)) and sediments (ΣOPFRs ranging 3.8 to 824μgkg(-1)). Brominated flame retardants were not detected in waters, whereas ΣPBDEs ranged from 88 to 812μgkg(-1) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) reached 435μgkg(-1) in sediments from the River Besòs, the most impacted river. The occurrence of flame retardants in river water and sediment was clearly associated with human activities, since the highest levels occurred near urban and industrial zones and after wastewater treatment plants discharge. Daphnia magna toxicity was carried out for OPFRs, the most ubiquitous flame retardants, considering individual compounds and mixtures. Toxicity of nine tested OPFRs differed largely among compounds, with EC50 values ranging over three magnitude orders (0.31-381mgL(-1)). Results evidenced that these compounds act by non-polar narcosis, since their toxicity was proportional to their lipophilicity (Kow). Furthermore, their joint toxicity was additive, which means that single and joint toxicity can be predicted knowing their concentration levels in water using quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs) and predictive mixture models. Based on these results, a risk assessment considering joint effect was performed calculating and summing risk quotients (RQs) for the water and sediment samples. No significant risk to D. magna (ΣRQs <1) was observed for any of the monitored rivers.
三种受不同人为压力影响的西班牙河流（纳尔逊河、阿加河和贝斯河）中，评估了八种多溴二苯醚 (PBDEs)、九种新型溴化（NBFRs）和十种有机磷阻燃剂（OPFRs）的出现、分配和风险。OPFRs 是水中（ΣOPFRs 范围从 0.0076 到 7.2μgL(-1)) 和沉积物（ΣOPFRs 范围从 3.8 到 824μgkg(-1)) 中普遍存在的污染物。水中未检出溴化阻燃剂，而 ΣPBDEs 范围从 88 到 812μgkg(-1)，而在贝斯河沉积物中，十溴二苯乙烷 (DBDPE) 达到 435μgkg(-1)，贝斯河是受影响最严重的河流。河流水中和沉积物中阻燃剂的存在与人类活动密切相关，因为在城市和工业区附近以及在废水处理厂排放后，最高水平出现在那里。对 OPFRs（最普遍的阻燃剂）进行了水蚤毒性测试，考虑了单个化合物和混合物。在所测试的 9 种 OPFRs 中，毒性差异很大，EC50 值范围超过三个数量级（0.31-381mgL(-1))。结果表明，这些化合物通过非极性麻醉作用，因为它们的毒性与其亲脂性（Kow）成正比。此外，它们的联合毒性是相加的，这意味着可以使用定量结构活性关系 (QSAR) 和预测混合物模型，根据水中化合物的浓度水平，预测它们的单一和联合毒性。基于这些结果，考虑联合效应进行了风险评估，计算并汇总了对水和沉积物样品的风险商数 (RQs)。对于任何监测河流，水蚤都没有受到显著风险（ΣRQs <1）。
