Comparison of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Lake Michigan Salmonids
and
Water Chemistry Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 660 North Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, and Department of Environmental Chemistry, Wallenberg Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Received for review June 27, 2000
Revised manuscript received November 27, 2000
Accepted January 4, 2001
Snip
"Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
have been used extensively over the past two decades as flame retardants in most
types of polymers. Many measurements of PBDEs in various environmental matrices
from Sweden, Holland, Japan, and elsewhere have been reported, but few
measurements are available for North America. PBDEs in 21 coho and chinook
salmon taken from Lake Michigan tributaries in 1996 were measured for this
study. . . . . .
. . . . . On the basis of an extensive literature survey, the
concentrations of PBDEs reported here are among the highest in the world for
salmon in open waters. The concentrations of PBDEs and PCBs are both correlated
with fish length and mass, but not with lipid content. The concentrations of
PBDEs and PCBs are highly correlated in individual fish, implying that PBDEs are
as prevalent as PCBs in Lake Michigan. "
Environ. Sci. Technol., 35 (6 ),
1072 -1077 , 2001 .
David J. Zaber
dzaber@chorus.net
dzaber@chorus.net