United States Office of Water
Environmental Protection Agency 4305T
EPA-820-F-13-003
September 2013
Contaminants of Emerging
Concern (CECs) in Fish:
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)
About PBDEs
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), commonly referred to as brominated flame retardants, are
a group of chemical compounds that include 209 congeners in ten bromination levels (mono through
deca). They are widely used as flame retardants in the manufacture of a number of products, including
textiles, polyurethane upholstery foams, and plastic components of electronic equipment. Commercial
production of PBDEs began in the 1970s and researchers first reported their presence in the environment
in the 1980s. Recent studies indicate that PBDEs are transported worldwide passively by air and actively
through water sources, and they can occur in locations as remote as the arctic environment. Monitoring
studies to date document their presence in air, water, soil, sediment, and biota (including humans).
About 30 congeners are commonly detected in environmental samples.
Why Is Studying PBDEs in Fish Important?
In the past decade, PBDEs have emerged as contaminants of concern because they are widely distributed and
persistent in the environment. A number of studies conducted in the U.S. and Europe since 2000 confirm that
PBDEs biomagnify in the food chain and accumulate in fish and human tissue. PBDEs have been associated
primarily with endocrine disruption and neurodevelopmental toxicity.
How Is EPA Responding?
Most of the early studies of PBDEs in U.S. fish focused on a particular waterbody or on the occurrence of a particular
group of PBDE congeners. In 2003, the EPA identified the need for a more comprehensive characterization of
PBDE contamination in U.S. fish and conducted a series of national- and regional-scale studies to evaluate the
extent of PBDE contamination in freshwater fish. The purpose of the studies
was to develop national or regional estimates of the median concentrations
of PBDEs in fish from various surface waters, including lakes, reservoirs,
and rivers. The statistical design of the studies also allowed for estimation
of the percentage of lakes and reservoirs or river miles with fish tissue
concentrations above a specified human health threshold. EPA established
partnerships to conduct the following studies:
• The National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue (1998-
2009)
• National Rivers and Streams Assessment (2008-2014)
• National Coastal Condition Assessment, Great Lakes Human Health Fish
Tissue Study (2010-2014)
-------
The National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue
(National Lake Fish Tissue Study)
First statistically based national assessment of contaminants in fish
from U.S. lakes and reservoirs
National Lake Fish Tissue Study Design
Design Elements
Number of Sites
Sampling Period
Fish Samples/Site
Fish Tissue Sample
Chemical Analysis
Total Samples Analyzed
PBDEs
Predators
166
2003
1
Fillets
46 congeners
160
Bottom
Dwellers
166
2003
1
Whole bodies
46 congeners
131
Other Chemicals
Predators
500
2000-2003
1
Fillets
Various*
486
Bottom
Dwellers
500
2000-2003
1
Whole bodies
Various*
395
Additional Chemicals: Hg, As, PCBs (209 congeners), dioxins/furans (17), pesticides (46), and semi-volatile organic compounds (40)
PBDE Results
• The three most prevalent PBDE congeners in both
predator fillet and bottom-dweller whole-body
samples are BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-100.
• Due to higher lipid content, measured concentrations <
of individual PBDE congeners are consistently higher
in whole-body samples than in fillet samples; the
maximum measured concentration for fillet samples
is 38 ppb and 125 ppb for whole-body samples.
Contributions of Individual PBDEs to Total PBDE
Concentrations in Fish Fillet Samples
NLFTS Fish Sampling Locations (500)
-BDE-153
Other
BDE-47 [
BDE-100
BDE-99
BDE-49
BDE-154
BDE-28+33
BDE-153
Other
BDE-49
Contributions of Individual PBDEs to Total PBDE
Concentrations in Whole-Body Fish Samples
-BDE-153
Other
BDE-47 [
BDE-100
BDE-99
BDE-49
BDE-154
BDE-28+33
BDE-153
Other
Publications
• PBDE Results Article (in press; Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment Journal; projected
publication in 2013)
• National Lake Fish Tissue Study Final Report
(September 2009)
• Study Design and Legacy Contaminant Results
Articles (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Journal, 2009)
Collaborators with EPA
• 52 state agencies
• 3 tribal agencies
• 2 other federal agencies
-------
National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA)
CEC and Legacy Fish Tissue Contamination Studies
First statistically based national assessment of contaminants in fish from U.S. rivers
NRSA Fish Sampling Locations (542)
Sites
• Urban Rivers (164)
• Non-urban Rivers (378)
Study Design
• 542 randomly selected river segments sampled in
the lower 48 states during 2008 and 2009
• Five fish collected per site to form one composite
sample for fillet analysis because people typically
consume fillets
• Fillets analyzed for 8 PBDE congeners
• Fillet results for other CECs (PFCs and PPCPs) from
164 urban river sites
• Additional fillet results for legacy contaminants
(mercury, selenium, PCBs, and pesticides) from the
full set of 542 river sites sampled for fish
Complete
Statistical
Analysis of
PBDE Data
Future PBDE
Milestones
-L
2014
Conduct QA
Review of
PBDE Data
Report
PBDE
Results
-------
National Coastal Condition Assessment
Great Lakes Human Health Fish Tissue Study
First statistically based assessment of chemicals in Great Lakes fish
relevant to human health
NCCA Great Lakes Human Health Fish Tissue Study
Sampling Locations (157)
Study Design
• 157 randomly selected nearshore sites sampled in
the five Great Lakes (about 30 sites per lake) during
2010
• One fish sample collected per site for fillet analysis
• Fillets analyzed for 52 PBDE congeners
• Fillet results for other CECs (PFCs), mercury, and
PCBs
• First broad assessment of fatty acids in Great
Lakes fish
Complete
Statistical
Analysis of
PBDE Data
I
Future PBDE
Milestones
Report
PBDE
Results
For additional information contact:
Leanne Stahl at stahl.leanne@epa.gov
or access http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishstudies/
------- |