전국 토양 시료 중 브롬화 난연제 오염현황

Abstract

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used to reduce flammability of polymer materials such as polyurethane foams, polystyrene, and synthetic fibers. Several types of BFRs (tetra/penta- and hexa/hepta-BDEs, hexa-BBs, and HBCDs) were registered by the Stockholm Convention as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). TBBPA is not included to the convention, but it was registered under the European registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals (REACH). In South Korea, nationwide monitoring of POPs in soil has been conducted annually by the Ministry of Environment since 2008. In this study, soil samples at 61 national POPs monitoring sites from sub-urban, urban, and industrial areas were collected. After Soxhlet extraction and purification using multilayer silica gel column, PBDEs and hexa-BBs were analyzed using GC/HRMS. HBCDs and TBBPA were analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS. The mean concentrations of PBDEs, HBCDs, and TBBPA in soil of South Korea were 1.6±6.2, 7.1±16.6, and 4.4±16.7 ng/g, but hexa-BBs were not generally detected. In addition, the concentrations of PBDEs (4.7±11.0 ng/g), HBCD (15.1±29.2 ng/g), and TBBPA (18.2±33.6 ng/g) in industrial areas (e.g., mechatronic, petrochemical, and electric/electronic complexes) were higher than those in sub-urban and urban areas. However, these BFR concentrations were similar or lower than those in other countries. Correlations among their concentrations were statistically significant. As a further study, novel (alternative) BFRs will be monitored.