Distribution and pollutant load of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in sewage treatment plants and water from Japanese Rivers

• Mean annual HBCDs detected in river water in Japan ranged from 0.19 to 14 ng L−1.
• HBCDs detected in sewage influent ranged from 16 to 400 ng L−1.
• HBCDs detected in sewage effluent ranged from 0.39 to 12 ng L−1.
• Over 90% of HBCDs were removed from wastewater in the sewage treatment plant.
• Approximately 15 kg year−1 of HBCDs flows into Osaka Bay from the study area.

Hexabromocyclododecane diastereoisomers (α-, β-, γ-, δ-, and ε-HBCD) were investigated in river water, sewage influent, and sewage effluent from the Yodo River basin, Japan. The mean annual values of HBCDs ranged from 0.19 to 14 ng L−1 in river water. We observed that the concentrations of HBCDs in the brackish water area were low compared with that in the fresh water area. It was implied that, when the flow of the river stagnated in the estuarine area, HBCDs settled with suspended matter because of their hydrophobic character. In the sewage treatment plants, HBCDs ranged from 16 to 400 ng L−1 in sewage influent, whereas they ranged from 0.39 to 12 ng L−1 in sewage effluent. Over 90% of HBCDs were removed from the wastewater in the sewage treatment plants. By using these results, we estimated the pollutant load of HBCDs that flows into Osaka Bay from the study area. It was estimated that approximately 15 kg of HBCDs flow into Osaka Bay from the study area in a year. This value is five orders of magnitude lower than the 2010 market demand for HBCDs (3019 metric tons) in Japan.