Determination of hexabromocyclododecanes in sediments from the Haihe River in China by an optimized HPLC-MS-MS method

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), a new type of persistent organic pollutants widely used as brominated flame retardants, have attracted wide attention due to their increasing level and toxicity. A method based on high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) in electrospray ionization mode has been developed by optimization of various parameters, which effectively improved the separation degree and responsive intensity of alpha-, beta- and gamma-HBCD isomers. The concentrations and distribution profiles of three HBCD isomers were investigated in sediments from the Haihe River in China. It was observed that the concentrations of HBCDs varied in the range of 0.4-58.82 ng/g, showing a decreasing trend along the flow direction, possibly due to attenuation and biodegradation along the flow direction of the Haihe River. The distribution. profile of alpha-, beta-, gamma-HBCD was 7.91%-88.6%, 0-91.47%, and 0.62%-42.83%, respectively. Interestingly, alpha-HBCD dominated in most sample sites. This was different from the distribution profile in commercial industrial products, which might be attributed to the inter-transformation and different degradation rates of the three HBCD isomers. The potential ecological risk of HBCDs in sediment was characterized under the two-tiered procedure of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency for environmental risk assessment. Although the HBCDs in the selected section of the Haihe River presented "no risk" in the sediment compartment, its risk in sediment cannot be neglected since sediment is one of the important sinks and reservoirs of pollutants. (C) 2016 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.