Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in California wastestreams

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used in consumer products, including electronics, fabrics, and polyurethane foam. Exposures may occur during the products’ useful lifetime and also after the products’ disposal. A survey of California wastestreams (e-wastes, autoshredder waste and wastewater sewage sludge) attempted to assess the relative importance of these wastestreams as repositories of PBDEs. Based on measurements of PBDEs in samples of such wastestreams and on assumptions regarding use patterns, e-wastes appeared to be by far the predominant wastestream with 1200 metric tons (MT) of PBDEs year−1, followed by autoshredder waste (31 MT of PBDEs year−1) and sewage sludge (2.3 MT of PBDEs year−1). When these estimates were compared with the reported use of PBDEs in California, about half of the PBDEs could not be accounted for in the wastestreams examined. This suggests that additional wastestreams, such as household wastes should be evaluated for their PBDE content. Information on the presence and fate of PBDEs in all wastestreams needs to be included in decision making practices for waste management to avoid public health and ecologic catastrophes.