Novel Brominated Flame Retardants (NBFRs) in a Tropical Marine Food Web from the South China Sea: The Influence of Hydrophobicity and Biotransformation on Structure-Related Trophodynamics

Abstract

The increasing discharge and ubiquitous occurrence of novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in aquatic environments have initiated intense global concerns; however, little information is available regarding their structure-related trophodynamics in marine food webs. In this study, a tropical marine food web including 29 species (18 fish and 11 invertebrate species) was collected from coral reef waters of the Xisha Islands, the South China Sea, for an analysis of 11 representative NBFRs. The mean ∑NBFR concentrations generally increased in the following sequence: sea cucumbers (0.330 ng/g lw) < crabs (0.380 ng/g lw) < shells (2.10 ng/g lw) < herbivorous fishes (2.30 ng/g lw) < carnivorous fishes (4.13 ng/g lw), with decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and hexabromobenzene (HBB) as the predominant components. Trophic magnification was observed for all of the investigated NBFRs, with trophic magnification factors (TMFs) ranging from 1.53 (tetrabromobisphenol A bis­(dibromopropyl ether)) to 5.32 (HBB). Significant negative correlations were also found between the TMFs and the tested in vitro transformation clearance rates (CL in vitro ) for the target NBFRs except for bis­(2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromo-phthalate (TBPH) (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that the transformation rate is a more powerful predictor for TMFs than the hydrophobicity of NBFRs in this marine food web.

Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer of Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Their Metabolites in the Estuarine Food Web of the Pearl River, China

“…33 Furthermore, considering that the aquatic environment is not the only source of OPFRs for estuarine species under relatively higher TLs, a large part of the high bioaccumulation abilities of OPFRs for organisms may come from the trophic transfer. 66 The trophic magnification of OPFRs and metabolites was assessed as the slope of lipid-adjusted concentrations regressed against TLs for estuarine food web configurations (Figure S6). In the present study, significant positive correlations between lipid-normalized OPFR concentrations and TLs (p < 0.05) were found for TPHP.…”

An In Vitro and In Vivo Study of Thyroid Disruption of 1,2-Bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE)─A Novel Brominated Flame Retardant

“…. BTBPE has been shown in the food web of the South China Sea tropics . It has been detected in breast milk and human serum .…”

Air–Sea Exchange and Atmospheric Deposition of Phthalate Esters in the South China Sea

“…The South China Sea is one of the largest marginal seas in the world, which is surrounded by China and several countries in Southeast Asia within the tropical–subtropical climate realm. Previous studies have highlighted that riverine discharges are important vectors for various classes of organic contaminants in the South China Sea, such as from the Pearl River and the Mekong. , Several classes of organic contaminants have been measured in seawater, air, sediments, and fish species, indicating that the South China Sea serves as a sink for emerging and legacy organic contaminants. − …”