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Evaluating the fate of hexabromocyclododecanes in the coastal environment: Fugacity analysis using field data
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This study used chemical modeling to track the environmental fate of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a flame retardant added to polystyrene plastic, in coastal waters and sediments. The analysis showed that microplastics carrying HBCD pose a persistent contamination risk in marine environments long after plastic arrives.
Abundant use of plastic materials has increased the amount of microplastics (MPs) and related hazardous chemicals in the marine environment. Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), brominated flame retardants added to expanded polystyrene (EPS), have been detected in biotic and abiotic samples. In this study, the partition constants of HBCDs between plastics and seawater (K) were determined. Fugacities of HBCDs in EPS, seawater, sediment, and mussels were obtained to determine the directions of the diffusive flux. The fugacities in EPS (f) were greater than those in seawater (f), sediment (f), and mussels (f and f) by three orders of magnitude, indicating that EPS plastics are a significant source of HBCDs. The f of α-HBCD in rock mussels was greater than f by factors of 1.7, whereas the f of γ-HBCD was smaller than f by factors of 16, indicating the bioisomerization from γ-to α-HBCD. The relatively constant concentration ratio of β-HBCD to the total HBCDs indicated that β-HBCD is a sufficient tracer for determining the diffusive flux. The f values of HBCDs were greater than f by factors of 17-28, implying a probable advective vertical flow of HBCDs from the EPS plastics, which requires further investigation.
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Field exposure experiments showed that expanded polystyrene (EPS) buoys are a significant source of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) flame retardants in aquatic ecosystems, with organisms living on EPS substrates accumulating far higher HBCD concentrations than those on other substrates. Both aqueous and dietary exposure routes were identified, while direct microplastic ingestion contributed minimally to HBCD uptake.
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Researchers examined the sorption of tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) onto polypropylene microplastics in simulated seawater, finding that particle size, temperature, salinity, and concentration all influenced adsorption behavior and the potential for microplastics to act as vectors for these brominated flame retardants.
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