Fate and effect of hexabromocyclododecane in the environment

Abstract

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is used as a flame retardant mainly in building insulation composed of extruded or expanded polystyrene foam. A minor use is in flame retardant back-coats of some upholstery textiles. Sales in Europe are estimated to be 9000 t/yr. HBCD has been detected in a number of environmental samples mainly in sediment of urban areas. In a series of acute aquatic toxicity tests, no effect was exhibited at concentrations equal to or below the water solubility of the technical product which consists of ca. 85% {gamma} diastereomer. However, considerable bioconcentration has been reported (log BCF=4). In recent work it has been reported that a shift occurs along the food chain, from {gamma}, the predominant isomer in the technical product, to the {alpha} isomer. HBCD is very hydrophobic and not readily biodegradable, and has been presumed to be persistent in the environment. It is therefore important to have a good understanding of the environmental fate and lifetime of all HBCD isomers. This paper describes new findings on the water solubility of HBCD with respect to its 3 individual isomers, presents results on the acute toxicity in the marine alga Skeletonema costatum at the limit of solubility of all individual isomers and shows first data of an ongoing fate study with {sup 14}C-HBCD where the primary biodegradation of the individual metabolites is differentiated.