Polybrominated diphenyl ethers occurrence in major inflowing rivers of Lake Chaohu (China): Characteristics, potential sources and inputs to lake

• The highest PBDEs concentration was detected in western inflowing rivers of Lake Chaohu.
• Sewage treatment plant was an important source of the lower brominated BDEs input to river.
• BDE 209 was the dominant contributor input to Lake Chaohu.
• It was about 344 kg yr−1 of PBDEs transported to lake from inflowing rivers during the flood season.

Eight commonly occurring polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), including BDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, 207, and 209, were investigated in water samples from seven major inflowing rivers of Lake Chaohu to determine the distribution characteristics, potential sources and inputs to the lake. The sum of 8 BDE congeners (Σ8PBDEs) had a concentration varied from 0.31 to 84 ng L−1, with those of BDE 209, BDE 47, BDE 99, and BDE 153 being 0.31–83, <0.012–0.36, <0.012–1.3, and <0.012–0.77 ng L−1, respectively. These levels were in the high range of the global PBDEs concentrations in the water environments. The highest concentrations of Σ8PBDEs were detected in the western rivers, of which the main pollution sources were strongly related to human activities in urban centers, such as automobile-derived wastes. A sewage treatment plant was likely an important source of the lower brominated BDEs input to one western river. The correlation analyses (all p < 0.05) between PBDEs and DOC, TN, TP, and EC, suggested that the distributions and sources of PBDEs in rivers might also be related with the soil erosion by heave floods. Σ8PBDEs input to Lake Chaohu from the rivers outlets was estimated at 344 kg yr−1 during the flood season. BDE 209 was the dominant contributor with an input of 340 kg yr−1, followed by BDE 99 (1.3 kg yr−1), BDE 47 (0.83 kg yr−1) and BDE 153 (0.60 kg yr−1).