A review of sources, levels, and toxicity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their transformation and transport in various environmental compartments

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of organobromine compounds that are used as flame retardants in many commonly used products. Their presence has been confirmed in various environmental matrices. Their usage in numerous consumer products has lent credence to their ability to retard flammable gas formation, hence their ubiquitous nature in the environment. PBDEs have been described as endocrine disrupting chemicals because of their interference with the endocrine system function in fish and other terrestrial animals. In spite of the progress in research over the years on PBDEs, full understanding of the environmental behaviour and fate of this contaminant is still elusive. In this review, sources by which PBDEs enter the environment have been evaluated in conjunction with their levels, as well as their toxicity, and the transformation and transport of PBDEs in various environmental compartments. This provides a better understanding of the behaviour of these emerging environmental contaminants within the environment. While acknowledging the numerous studies that have been conducted on the environmental contamination by PBDEs, emerging issues and data gaps have been identified.