Determination of brominated flame retardants in environmental samples

The last few decades have seen dramatic growth in the scale of production and use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Not surprisingly, the levels of these compounds in the environment have increased as well. Even though the acute toxicity of most BFRs seems to be fairly low, some have shown similar toxic effects to PCBs and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans. Thus, BFRs are a potential hazard to the environment and their levels in the environment must be monitored. This article gives a brief overview of the analytical methodology used for the determination of BFRs in environmental samples and the levels of BFRs found in the samples. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.