Determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil and sediment from an electronic waste recycling facility

Soil and sediment collected in the vicinity of an open electronic waste disposal and recycling facility located in Guiyu, Guangdong, China, were analyzed for the levels of common polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by using soxhlet extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The PBDEs were detected in the soil and sediment samples at levels of 0.26-824 ng/g (dry weight). The obtained isomer profiles of PBDEs from the two soil samples collected from different contamination sites were found to be similar to various technical formulations of fire retardant products.