Determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in environmental standard reference materials

Standard reference materials (SRMs) are valuable tools in developing and validating analytical methods to improve quality assurance standards. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a long history of providing environmental SRMs with certified concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants. Here we report on new certified and reference concentrations for 27 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in seven different SRMs: cod-liver oil, whale blubber, fish tissue (two materials), mussel tissue and sediment (two materials). PBDEs were measured in these SRMs, with the lowest concentrations measured in mussel tissue (SRM 1974b) and the highest in sediment collected from the New York/New Jersey Waterway (SRM 1944). Comparing the relative PBDE congener concentrations within the samples, we found the biota SRMs contained primarily tetrabrominated and pentabrominated diphenyl ethers, whereas the sediment SRMs contained primarily decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209). The cod-liver oil (SRM 1588b) and whale blubber (SRM 1945) materials were also found to contain measurable concentrations of two methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-BDEs). Certified and reference concentrations are reported for 12 PBDE congeners measured in the biota SRMs and reference values are available for two MeO-BDEs. Results from a sediment interlaboratory comparison PBDE exercise are available for the two sediment SRMs (1941b and 1944).