Brominated flame retardants in Korean river sediments, including changes in polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations between 2006 and 2009

• BFRs were analyzed in sediment samples from the Nakdong River basin, South Korea.
• Sampling sites close to manufacturing facilities showed high BFR concentrations.
• Temporal change of PBDEs correlated with the geochemical compositions of sediment.
• It is estimated that the commercial PBDE and HBCD products were released locally.

Brominated flame retardants were analyzed in sediment samples from the Nakdong River basin, Korea. The total concentrations of the 27 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), including decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE 209), analyzed were 0.55–300 ng g−1 dry weight (dw), the BDE 209 concentrations were 0.39–190 ng g−1 dw, the tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) concentrations were 0.05–150 ng g−1 dw, and the total hexabromocyclododecane (sum of α-, β-, γ-HBCDs) concentrations were 0.11–19 ng g−1 dw. The PBDE and HBCD concentrations were comparable to or lower than the concentrations found in sediments from other countries, whereas the TBBPA concentrations were comparable to or higher than the concentrations found in other countries. The TBBPA concentrations were similar to or lower than the PBDE concentrations, even though more than twice as much TBBPA as total PBDEs is consumed in Korea, and this phenomenon was probably caused by TBBPA and PBDEs being used differently during the manufacture of products, and their different half-lives in sediment and affinities for the particle phase in aquatic environments. Sediment samples from several sampling sites close to facilities where expandable polystyrene, epoxy, and polycarbonate resins are manufactured and handled had relatively high TBBPA and HBCD concentrations. Temporal changes in the PBDE concentration strongly correlated with temporal variations in the geochemical compositions such as total organic carbon content and grain size value of the sediment. The PBDE and HBCD distribution profiles in the sediment samples indicated that commercial PBDE and HBCD products were released locally.