The occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their metabolites in Portuguese river biota

This study focused on the assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their methoxylated metabolites (MeO-PBDEs) in estuarine seafood from the main Portuguese river, in order to evaluate their impact in the environment and the safety of consumers' health, thus providing a comparison with other world regions. For the purpose, PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs were determined in several seafood species collected along the Tagus estuary region, Portugal, in two catching seasons of 2019. The analyses were performed by an environmental-friendly method comprising a QuEChERS-based extraction with subsequent gas chromatography (tandem) mass spectrometry detection. Only trace amounts of BDE-47 (up to 2.0 ng·g^-1 wet weight) were found in the muscle of lower trophic levels fish species, i.e. mullet and common barbel, collected in the spring. All remaining targeted PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs were below the limits of quantification, which is indicative of a reduced environmental contamination, as well as a low risk of exposure to PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs through the consumption of these species. These amounts are smaller than other regions worldwide and therefore indicative of a low contamination level in Portuguese waters.