Poly brominated biphenyls

Morris PJ, JF Quensen III, JM Tiedje, SA Boyd (1993) An assessment of the reductive debromination of poly-brominated biphenyls in the Pine River reservoir. Environ Sci Technol 27 1580-1586. 

McCormack KM, Hook JB. 1982. Effects of lactation and nursing on tissue concentrations of poly brominated biphenyls and on microsomal enzyme activity in mammary gland and liver in maternal rats. EnvironRes 27 110-117. 

International Agency for Research on Cancer, Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Poly-brominated Biphenyls, Vol. 18 October, 1978. 

The Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of the Use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) was put into effect on July 1, 2006.75 76 It states that Member States shall ensure that new electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) put on the market shall not contain more than 0.1% of Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr(VI), poly-brominated biphenyls (PBBs), PBDEs, or 0.01% Cr(VI). All other flame-retardants are compliant with the provisions of the RoHS Directive and can be used in EEE. 

Gobas et al. [30] in 1989 investigated the bioconcentration potential of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated benzenes (PBBzs) and poly-brominated biphenyls (PBBs), and other super-hydrophobic chemicals, such as decachlorobiphenyl and Mirex. These authors also pointed out the importance of bioavailability for bio concentration of super-hydrophobic chemicals. Their study showed that the bioavailable fraction of the super-hydrophobic chemical decachlorobiphenyl can be as low as 3 % and of Mirex can be as low as 2.2 %. For decachlorobiphenyl, a BCF was found that was one to two orders of magnitude lower than the true BCF. 

Stross JK, Smokier IA, Isbister J, et al The human health effects of exposure to poly-brominated biphenyls. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 58 145-150, 1981 Tilson HA, Harry GJ Developmental neurotoxicology of polychlorinated biphenyls and related compounds, in The Vulnerable Brain and Environmental Risks, Vol 3 Toxins in Air and Water. Edited by Isaacson RL, Jensen KF. New York, Plenum, 1994, pp 267-279... 

The European Union has taken the lead in restricting the use of some hazardous materials in the manufacture of electrical and electronic hardware. The program, referred to as Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), applies to all electrical and electronic products produced in Europe and products imported from other countries, thus has very broad application. The regulations put into force on July 1, 2006, apply to lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium (Cr ), poly-brominated biphenyl (PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). The RoHS guideline document specifies 0.1% or 1,000 ppm as the maximum amount permitted for lead, mercury, Cr" " , PBB, and PBDE and 0.01% or 100 ppm for cadmium. The document also describes guidelines for sample preparation and analyses of the restricted materials. 

Chemicals that possess a common structural feature are called congeners. Some common examples are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), poly-brominated diphenylethers (PBDE) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). The common features... 

Table 9 shows that there are reasonably good data available for the poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), but there is much less information for the other BFRs. While the polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) are no longer in production or use, it is clear that these compounds are persistent in the environment and in people thus, it would be prudent to continue to monitor the concentrations of these compounds in (at least) the sediment and fishes of the lakes. The other BFRs (HBCD, TBE, and PEB) are not currently abundant in the lakes, but the likelihood of their increased use in the future suggests that they too should be monitored in the sediment and fishes of the lakes. Of course, the... 

Ter Schure, A. F. H., Larsson, R, Agrell, C., Boon, J. P. (2004) Atmospheric transport of poly-brominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls to the Baltic Sea. Environ. Sci. Technol., 38 1282-1287. 

In response to the continuing discovery of the persistence, bioaccumulative properties, and toxicity of POPs, regional, national and international policies ban the intentional production of compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), several organochlo-rine pesticides, such as mirex and dieldrin, and the brominated flame retardants poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (penta-BDE and octa-BDE, and most recently, deca-BDE). Policies and programs have also targeted the unintentional production and release of POPs such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs). Evidence of the success of these policies has been seen in immediate reductions of air concentrations, followed by declining concentrations in water bodies, soils, biota and our food supplies... 

Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) and Poly brominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)... 

Some PBBs are considered possible precursors of toxic poly-brominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (12-138) and dibenzofurans (12-139), which are formed during combustion. The formation of degradation products of PBBs depends generally on the temperature, the amount of oxygen present and certain other factors. A study of the pyrolysis of the commercial mixture FireMaster BP-6 in the absence of oxygen at 600-900 °C showed the formation of bromobenzenes and lower brominated biphenyls, but polybromi-nated furans did not result. Pyrolysis in the presence of oxygen at 700-900 °C, however, yielded di- to heptabromodibenzofurans. 

Ema M, Fujii S, Hirata-Koizumi M et al (2007) Two-generation reproductive toxicity study of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane in rats. Reprod Toxicol 25 335-351 Eriksson P, Fischer C, Fredriksson A (2006) Poly-brominated diphenyl ethers, a group of brominated flame retardants, can interact with polychlorinated biphenyls in enhancing developmental neurobehavioral defects. Toxicol Sci 94 302-309 Eskenazi B, Chevrier J, Rauch SA et al (2013) In utero and childhood polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposures and neurodevelopment in the CHAMACOS study. Environ Health Perspect 121 257-261... 

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