Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in seafood products of south China

South China is probably one of the heaviest polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) polluted regions in the world, thanks to the presence of huge and rapidly growing electronics manufacturing industries, as well as several of the world's largest e-waste recycling sites in the region. In the present work, a wide variety of nonfish seafood products collected from South China was analyzed for PBDE residues. The concentrations of PBDEs in seafood products were highly species-specific, and the magnitude of PBDE pollution was moderate in South China compared to the global levels. Congener patterns of PBDEs in seafood samples suggested that seafood products are prone to accumulating low-brominated congeners, and possible metabolic debromination of BDE-99 to BDE-47 could occur in certain organisms, such as crabs and mantis shrimp. Generally, the congener profile was dominated by BDE-209, and to a lesser extent by BDE-47 and BDE-99, which was consistent with the fact that Deca-BDE is mass-produced in China and with previous sediment results from the same area. The occurrence of BDE-209 in aquatic species from South China suggests that BDE-209 appears to be more bioavailable than previously thought, and the environmental fate and safety of BDE-209 require further investigation and call for a thorough reassessment.