Atmospheric samples were collected using polyurethane foam (PUF) passive air sampling device for every 3 months from June 2012 to May 2013 in Shanghai rural regions in order to investigate the concentrations, profiles, spatial distributions, and seasonal variations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Twelve PBDE congeners (BDE-17, BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-49, BDE-66, BDE-85, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-138, BDE-153, BDE-154, and BDE-183) were measured and analyzed by GC-MS. The results showed that detectable PBDEs were examined in all air samples, which indicated that these pollutants are widespread in the research areas. The ∑12PBDE concentrations in Shanghai rural air ranged from 4.49 to 77.5 pg m-3, with mean value up to 26.7 pg m-3. The highest concentration was found at Jinshan sampling site in summer (from June to August in 2012). Furthermore, among the PBDE compounds investigated, the most frequently detected and the major congeners were BDE-17, BDE-28, BDE-47, and BDE-99. And the lower brominated diphenyl ethers (accounting for 75.0%) were the majority of the PBDE congeners. Finally, the result of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the lower and higher brominated diphenyl ethers in Shanghai rural regions were emitted from different pollutant sources.
Keywords: Atmosphere; Distributions; PBDEs; Potential pollutant source; Rural regions.