Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediments and mussel tissues from Hong Kong marine waters

Sediments and green-lipped mussels, Perna viridis, were used to investigate concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Hong Kong's marine environment. PBDEs have been used extensively over the past two decades as flame retardants in polymer additives for a variety of plastics, computers, furniture, building materials, and fabrics. Many measurements of PBDEs in various environmental matrices have been reported from Belgium, Holland, Japan, Europe and North America, but few measurements are available for the southeast Asian region and Hong Kong. PBDE congeners (n = 15) were measured in 13 sediments and nine mussel samples, taken from Hong Kong marine waters. The ∑15PBDEs in sediments ranged between 1.7 and 53.6 ng g−1 dry wt, with the highest concentrations located around the most heavily populated areas of Victoria Harbour and Sai Kung, while the lowest concentrations of ∑15PBDEs were found at more remote locations of Sha Tau Kok, Wong Chuk Bay, Castle Peak Bay, and Gold Coast. ∑15PBDEs ranged from 27.0 to 83.7 ng g−1 dry wt of mussel tissues. Although not identical, most of the congeners in sediments were found in mussel tissues, with BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-153 and BDE-183 being the most prominent in both matrices. On the basis of a literature survey, the concentrations of PBDEs reported in Hong Kong sediments and mussel tissues are amongst the highest in the world.