Mily, B. K, Rault
2018
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Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ‘emerged’ contaminants that were produced and used as flame-retardants in numerous consumer and industrial applications for decades until banned. They remain ubiquitously present in the environment today. Here, a unique set of >200 biotic samples from the Antarctic was analyzed for PBDEs, including phytoplankton, krill, fish and fur seal milk, spanning several sampling seasons over 14 years. PBDE-47 and -99 were the most dominant congeners determined in all samples, constituting >60% of total PBDEs. A temporal trend was observed for ∑7PBDE concentrations in fur seal milk, where concentrations significantly increased (R = 0.57, p < 0.05) over time (2000 to 2014). Results for krill and phytoplankton also suggested increasing PBDE concentrations over time. Trends of PBDEs in fur seal milk of individual seals sampled one or more years apart showed no clear temporal trends. Overall, there was no indication of PBDEs decreasing in Antarctic biota yet, while numerous studies have reported decreasing trends in the northern hemisphere. Similar PBDE concentrations in perinatal versus non-perinatal milk implied the importance of local PBDE sources for bioaccumulation. These results indicate the need for continued assessment of contaminant trends, such as PBDEs, and their replacements, in Antarctica. INTRODUCTION Antarctica is one of the most pristine places on the planet. However, even in this remote region, anthropogenic effects are measureable. Scientific exploration in Antarctica has occurred for decades and in the summer season, the continent hosts over 100 active facilities operated by 30 different nations. While pollution in Antarctica has typically been orders of magnitude lower than concentrations reported elsewhere around the globe, organic contaminants, particularly (semi-) volatile ones, have reached the region via long range environmental transport by processes of global fractionation and cold condensation. Legacy contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been reported along with more recent contaminants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), in numerous environmental matrices from the region. Some of this contamination has also been found to originate from research stations themselves.