H23R-01:
Triclosan and Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Lake and Esturaine Sediments

Tuesday, 16 December 2014: 1:40 PM
William A Arnold1, Jill F Kerrigan1, Kristopher McNeill2, Paul R Erickson2 and Matthew Grandbois3, (1)University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, Minneapolis, MN, United States, (2)ETH-Zurich, Institute for Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Zurich, Switzerland, (3)University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Department of Chemistry, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Abstract:
Halogenated diphenyl ethers are a class of emerging contaminants that includes the antibacterial compound triclosan and the flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Both triclosan and hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-BDEs) are known to form dioxins when exposed to sunlight in aqueous solution. Thus, it is important to understand the sources and presence of these compounds in the environment, especially because OH-BDEs are breakdown products of PBDEs and also naturally produced compounds. In this work, the levels of OH-BDEs were determined in lake sediments from Minnesota and esturaine sediments from San Francisco Bay. Both surface sediments over a broad spatial area and sediment cores were collected and analyzed. Triclosan was used as a marker of wastewater as a source of the targeted emerging contaminants. The relationship between triclosan and OH-BDE levels provides insight into the importance of natural and anthropogenic influences on the levels of OH-BDEs.