Dechlorane Plus as an emerging environmental pollutant in Asia: a review

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology
• Pollutant Analysis

Background:

• Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a highly chlorinated flame retardant manufactured for over 40 years.
• Its environmental presence was first reported in 2006, and it has since been detected in various biotic and abiotic matrices.
• Limited monitoring data exists for DP in Asia, despite its global distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize the occurrence, distribution, and toxicity of Dechlorane Plus in environmental matrices.
• To highlight the limited data available for DP in Asian environments.
• To identify knowledge gaps regarding DP's environmental fate and effects.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing studies on Dechlorane Plus.
• Analysis of reported data on DP occurrence and distribution in environmental samples.
• Summary of bioaccumulation and toxicity data from published research.

Main Results:

• DP exhibits long-range transport, appearing in areas without direct emission sources.
• Urbanization and industrialization correlate with higher DP levels.
• DP bioaccumulation shows a trend of kidney > liver > muscle, with limited brain accumulation due to the blood-brain barrier.
• Females tend to have higher DP levels than males due to metabolic differences.
• Tidal movements contribute to DP transport in aquatic systems.

Conclusions:

• Dechlorane Plus is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with complex distribution patterns influenced by human activities and natural processes.
• Significant data gaps exist for DP in Asian environments, terrestrial food webs, and aquatic biomagnification.
• Further research is needed on the toxicity of different DP isomers (syn-DP and anti-DP).