A Review on the Bioaccumulation Behavior of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers

The bioaccumulation potentials of polybrominated biphenyl ethers(PBDEs)are important for predicting chemical residues in organisms, developing environmental quality criteria and standards for protection of human health, and assessing the ecological risks of these chemicals. This review summarized the recent data on the bioaccumulation extents and the food web biomagnification potentials of PBDEs. The calculated bioaccumulation factors (BAFs), biota-sediment/soil bioaccumulation factors (BSAFs) and biomagnification factors (BMFs) suggested that organisms could bioaccumulate the majority of the PBDE congeners, and the bioaccumulation potentials of these chemicals were related to the evolution positions and trophic levels of the species. The reported trophic magnification factors (TMFs) indicated that most of the PBDEs biomagnificated in the food web, however, most of the TMFs had no statistical significances. The biochemical parameters of the organisms, the properties of the individual PBDE congeners and the environmental conditions influenced the bioaccumulation of PBDEs in organisms and food webs.