Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments from the Southern Yellow Sea: Concentration, composition profile, source identification and mass inventory.

The Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) is believed to be influenced by the contaminants from mainland China and the Korean peninsula. Here we report the first record about concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the sediments of the SYS. The concentrations of ∑(7)PBDEs (BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183) and BDE-209 were 0.064-0.807 ng g(-1) (dry weight) and 0.067-1.961 ng g(-1) with a mean value of 0.245 ng g(-1) and 0.652 ng g(-1), respectively. These are distinctively low compared with the PBDE levels previously reported in other regions of the world. PBDE concentrations gradually increased from the coastal areas to the central mud area. BDE-209 was the dominant congener, accounting for 70.2-91.6% of the total PBDEs. Congener profiles of PBDEs were similar to those in sediments from the Bohai Sea (BS), Laizhou Bay and modern Yellow River, which might be a tentative indication that they shared similar sources. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PBDEs in the SYS were mainly from continental runoff (69.0%) and atmospheric deposition (31.0%). Depth profile of PBDEs in a sediment core collected from the edge of the central mud area showed that concentration of BDE-209 rapidly increased in recent years, which is in accordance with the replacement in demand and consumption of Penta- and Octa-BDEs by the Deca-BDE. Compared with BS, East China Sea, Erie and Ontario, the SYS was a relatively weak sink of PBDEs (0.102-1.288 t yr(-1) for ∑(7)PBDEs and 0.107-3.129 t yr(-1) for BDE-209) in the world.