Photofate of Tetrabromobisphenol-A in the Arctic: Role of photofluence and dissolved organic matter
Date
2024-08-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) used in consumer goods and flame retardants have been replaced by alternatives such as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). TBBPA does not readily undergo global distal transport, but local sources still threaten aquatic ecosystems. We studied the photofate of TBBPA with a specific focus on how Arctic-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) affects its reaction kinetics, degradation pathways and formation of photoproducts in artificial and natural sunlight. Our results corroborate earlier studies that reveal a pH-dependent trend in TBBPA’s direct photolysis with longer degradation times for its acidic form. DOM either plays no role or it slightly reduces TBBPA’s rate of photodegradation via inner-filter effects. Photolysis experiments conducted at our Arctic field site, Toolik Lake Field Station, revealed slower than anticipated degradation, which magnified the half-life significantly during in-lake experiments. Importantly, the composition of DOM was found to influence the type and distribution of TBBPA photoproducts formed, which suggests that different degradation pathways occur in the presence of DOM. These findings provide valuable insights into the intricate interplay of environmental variables that govern the fate of TBBPA in sunlit aquatic ecosystems globally.
Graphical Abstract available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2024.2372867
Description
This article was originally published in Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2024.2372867. © 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Keywords
Tetrabromobisphenol A, photolysis, Arctic, fate, dissolved organic matter
Citation
O’Halloran, Robyn C., Jill Kerrigan, Lauren E. O’Connor, Jennifer J. Guerard, Kimberly J. Hageman, and Yu-Ping Chin. 2024. “Photofate of Tetrabromobisphenol-A in the Arctic: Role of Photofluence and Dissolved Organic Matter.” Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 56 (1). doi:10.1080/15230430.2024.2372867.