Metabolic transformation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in organisms and the ecotoxicological effect of their metabolites:a review of recent studies

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs),a specific group of brominated flame retardants,are widely used in household and industrial products,PBDEs and their metabolites have recently been reported to be present in various environmental and biotic samples.PBDEs can accumulate in organisms and be metabolized to more toxic low brominated diphenyl ether,hydroxylated PBDEs and methoxylated PBDEs.The metabolic pathways and mechanism of PBDE and the ecotoxicological effect of PBDEs metabolites were emphatically discussed in this paper.