The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in western Taiwan and coastal waters: evaluation with a fugacity-based model.

ABSTRACT: The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of flame retardants that are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs), around the Zhuoshui River and Changhua County regions of Taiwan was assessed. An investigation into emissions, partitioning, and fate of selected PBDEs was conducted based on the equilibrium constant (EQC) fugacity model developed at Trent University, Canada. Emissions for congeners PBDE 47, PBDE 99, and PBDE 209 to air (4.9-92 × 10(-3) kg/h), soil (0.91-17.4 × 10(-3) kg/h), and water (0.21-4.04 × 10(-3) kg/h), were estimated by modifying previous models on PBDE emission rates by considering both industrial and domestic rates. It was found that fugacity modeling can give a reasonable estimation of the behavior, partitioning, and conce

SUBMITTER: O'Driscoll K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4912977 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature