Biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and alternative halogenated flame retardants through food chains of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and their prey from the South China Sea and the associated potential health risk

Run-Xia Sun; Chang-Gui Pan; Feng-Jiao Peng; Zhong-Biao Chen; Yue Sun; Jiang-Tao Fan; Jun Zhang; Bi-Xian Mai

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177770

Biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and alternative halogenated flame retardants through food chains of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and their prey from the South China Sea and the associated potential health risk

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 30:957:177770. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177770. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Run-Xia Sun¹, Chang-Gui Pan², Feng-Jiao Peng³, Zhong-Biao Chen¹, Yue Sun⁴, Jiang-Tao Fan⁵, Jun Zhang⁵, Bi-Xian Mai⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
² School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China. Electronic address: panchanggui@gxu.edu.cn.
³ SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety, MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: Fengjiaopeng@m.scnu.edu.cn.
⁴ Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310022, China.
⁵ South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.

PMID: 39616916
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177770

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their alternative halogenated flame retardants (AHFRs) have gained global attention due to their ubiquitous occurrence, bioaccumulation, and toxic properties. However, the biomagnification of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), particularly AHFRs, in various food chains is not yet well understood. In this study, yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), along with its prey, flying squid (Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis) and round scad (Decapterus maruadsi), were sampled from the South China Sea (SCS) to investigate the biomagnification potential of PBDEs and AHFRs, including dechlorane plus (DP) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE). The results showed that PBDEs were the predominant HFRs detected in all fish samples. However, the levels of PBDEs in the present study were lower than those reported in previous studies, indicating a recent reduction in PBDE contamination in the SCS. The average biomagnification factor (BMF) values for all target HFRs, except for BDE 99 and BDE 183, were in the range of 1.03 to 57.61, suggesting that these compounds were biomagnified from prey fish to predator of yellowfin tuna. In contrast, BDE 99 and BDE 183 were biodiluted in the flying squid-yellowfin tuna food chain. Additionally, the BMF values decreased with the increased log K_ow of PBDEs in these two food chains. Lastly, the average estimated daily intakes of PBDEs, DP, and DBDPE suggest that consuming these marine species is unlikely to pose significant health risks.

Keywords: AHFRs; Bioaccumulation; Exposure risk; PBDEs; Thunnus albacares.