• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.313-321
• /
• 2014

Objectives: Pine needles are used as passive air samplers (PAS) of atmospheric persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This study was carried out in order to investigate whether pine needles can also be used as a PAS of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Methods: PBDEs in one to three year-old pine needles were analyzed with HRGC/HRMS. Results: PBDEs in the atmosphere were accumulated in the pine needles. The rate of increase in concentration of lower substituted PBDEs (tri- through hepta-) in pine needles was linear. The rate of increase of the higher substituted PBDEs (octa- through deca-) was also liner, but only up to two year-old pine needles. The concentration did not increase further in older pine needles. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that young pine needles, those that are two years old or less, are recommended for use as PAS of atmospheric PBDEs.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.629-636
• /
• 2014

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as flame-retardant additives have been used in a wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles. They are structurally similar to PCBs and other polyhalogenated compounds. PBDEs are found in a variety of foods, and 95% of all human exposure to POPs comes from food. The major food sources are fish/seafood and dairy products. A number of studies have reported high levels of PBDEs in animals, increasing the public's concern over PBDE levels in animals. This study evaluates the relationship between the level of PBDEs according to piglet diseases. Salmonella spp. and Streptococcus are bacterial diseases. Porcine respiratory reproductive syndrome (PRRS) is a viral disease. The concentration of PBDEs in the piglet liver from viral diseases was higher than that from bacterial diseases. BDE-47 and BDE-99 were detected in most samples. More PBDEs were detected in the piglet liver from PRRS of North American type than from that of European type.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.68-74
• /
• 2010

Octopus(Octopus minor), benthic cephalopod, were collected from intertidal zone in Seosan, Choongnam and analyzed for polybrominted diphenyl ethers(PBDEs). PBDEs concentrations ranged from 29 to 109 ng/g lipid wt(mean; 54 ng/g) in mantle and from 12 to 89 ng/g lipid wt(mean; 48 ng/g) in internal organ. PBDEs concentrations in octopus internal organ were lower about two times than that in common squid collected in Yellow Sea, indicating Seosan is relatively less contaminated with PBDEs. Major congener was BDE 206, occupying 72% and 49% of total PBDE concentration in mantle and in internal organ, respectively, which is very different from PBDE composition in common squid with major congeners of BDE 47 and 99. From PBDE composition, octopus seemed to concentrate higher brominated BDE rather than lower brominated BDE. This PBDE composition in octopus may be affected by sediment with extremely high contribution of deca-BDE to total PBDE concentration.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.29-36
• /
• 2004

An analytical method of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil samples by isotope dilution method using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)-selected ion monitoring (SIM) was described. PBDEs in soil were extracted with soxhlet extractor and then silica and florisil solid phase extraction (SPE) methods as purification of extract were compared. After clean-up, the extractions were analyzed by GC/MS with SIM mode. Quantitation was performed isotope dilution method using four $^{13}C$ isotopically labeled PBDEs as internal standards. This developed method was validated for eight congeners of PBDEs in the concentration range 0.04~4 ng/g in soil and the average recovery of the analytes ranged 30.8~110.8% for florisil and 44.4~110.7% for silica, respectively. The method detection limits of PBDEs were 0.04~0.3 ng/g.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.754-768
• /
• 2017

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of industrial aromatic organobromine chemicals that have been used since the 1970s as flame retardants in a wide range of consumer products and articles, including plastics, computers, textiles and upholstery. Commercial PBDEs were added to Annex A of the Stockholm Convention as persistent organic pollutants in May 2009. PBDEs are still frequently found in sludge and effluent from wastewater treatment plants, even though commercial PBDEs were prohibited or voluntarily phased out several years ago. Conventional wastewater treatment processes are not designed to effectively remove PBDEs. This indicates that there is an urgent need for new developments and improvements to enhance upon the treatment techniques which are currently available. Several studies have suggested the potential removal and degradation technologies for PBDEs in wastewater. In this study, the concentrations and compositional profiles of PBDE congeners in sludge and effluent are investigated by analyzing the relevant literature data in relation to their usage patterns in commercial products in North America and South Korea. The strengths and weaknesses of the current PBDEs removal techniques (i.e., biodegradation, zero-valent iron, photolysis, sorption, etc.) are discussed critically. In addition, future research direction regarding the treatment and removal of PBDEs from wastewater is also suggested, based on the literature review.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.113-119
• /
• 2013

The objective of this study was to understand the content characteristic of polybrominated biphenyl ethers in indoor household dust. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as additive brominated flame retardants (BFR) in electrical and electronic equipment, and insulation in the indoor environment, and may be released indoors via volatilization or as dusts. The indoor household dust samples were collected from January to December in 2011 and measured for the concentrations, congener profiles and possible sources of PBDEs. The concentrations of 22 congeners of PBDEs (the sum of PBDEs 47, 49, 66, 71, 77, 85, 99, 100, 119, 126, 138, 153, 154, 156, 183, 184, 191, 196, 197, 206, 207 and 209) were 35.22~575.88 ng/g for apartment dust samples and 524.44 ng/g for laboratory dust sample. The eight congeners of BDE-47, 153, 183, 196, 197, 206, 207, and 209 are detected in the more than 1 ng/g. The three congeners of BDE-206, 207 and 209 in all dust samples were detected.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.96.1-96.1
• /
• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.93.1-93.1
• /
• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.95.1-95.1
• /
• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.102-102
• /
• 2008