Impacts of projected climate change on the environmental fate and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in...

PBDEs have been regulated as POPs for nearly two decades but remain ubiquitous in the global environment and in humans. In this study, we used a dynamic multimedia model to investigate the impact of climate change on the fate and transport of PBDEs under temporally constant emission conditions. Under RCP 8.5-based meteorological conditions projected for South Korea through 2100, nationwide 30-year mean concentration ratios relative to the baseline period ranged from 0.68 to 1.29 across air, freshwater, and soil, whereas annual mean ratios ranged from 0.44 to 1.86. Interannual variability was greater in freshwater and soil than in air, with maximum annual changes of -56% in soil, +86% in freshwater, and +21% in air. The major meteorological factors affecting environmental concentrations were wind speed and rainfall frequency for air, rainfall amount and temperature for soil, and rainfall amount and frequency for freshwater. Our findings show that chemicals with physicochemical properties similar to those of PBDEs may experience diminished atmospheric mobility and increased migration from terrestrial surfaces to freshwater under changing climate conditions.