Terrigenous export and ocean currents' diffusion of organophosphorus flame retardants along China's adjacent seas

Hongyuan Zheng; Minghong Cai; Chao Yang; Yuan Gao; Zhiyi Chen; Yanguang Liu

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118873

Terrigenous export and ocean currents' diffusion of organophosphorus flame retardants along China's adjacent seas

Environ Pollut. 2022 Apr 15:299:118873. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118873. Epub 2022 Jan 21.

Authors

Hongyuan Zheng¹, Minghong Cai², Chao Yang³, Yuan Gao⁴, Zhiyi Chen¹, Yanguang Liu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Ministry of Natural Resources Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200136, China; Antarctic Great Wall Ecology National Observation and Research Station, Polar Research Institute of China, 1000 Xuelong Road, Shanghai, 201209, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
² Ministry of Natural Resources Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200136, China; Antarctic Great Wall Ecology National Observation and Research Station, Polar Research Institute of China, 1000 Xuelong Road, Shanghai, 201209, China; School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.
³ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
⁴ Ministry of Natural Resources Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200136, China; Antarctic Great Wall Ecology National Observation and Research Station, Polar Research Institute of China, 1000 Xuelong Road, Shanghai, 201209, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Qingdao, 266061, China. Electronic address: yanguangliu@fio.org.cn.

PMID: 35066107
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118873

Abstract

High demands for but strict regulatory measures on Organophosphorus Flame Retardants (OPFRs) have resulted in mainland China transitioning from the region that imports OPRFs to one that exports these substances. Simultaneously, large quantities of terrigenous OPFRs have been exported to adjacent seas by the major river systems, particularly the Yangtze River. This study examined the presence of ten OPFRs in China's adjacent seas. High levels of OPFRs were observed in seas south of mainland China, with Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and Tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) dominant. The terrigenous OPFRs were redistributed by the ocean surface currents, with OPFRs tending to accumulate in regions with lower current speed. The producers of OPFRs are mainly distributed along the Haihe, Yellow, and Yangtze river systems. The application of OPFRs to electric vehicle charging stations, charging connectors, and 5G infrastructure in the Chinese mainland will likely drive rapid growth in OPFR related industry in the future. The diffusion trend map of OPFR indicated that the Bohai Sea and the central northern Yellow Sea are at high risk of ecological damage in the spring. The offshore region of the north of the South China Sea tended to aggregate more OPFRs in summer. Regions of the OPFR aggregation effect were at a higher risk of ecological damage.

Keywords: China adjacent Seas; OPFRs; Ocean surface currents; Surface diffusion trend; Terrigenous contamination export.

MeSH terms

China
Flame Retardants* / analysis
Oceans and Seas
Organophosphates / analysis
Organophosphorus Compounds / analysis
Rivers

Substances

Flame Retardants
Organophosphates
Organophosphorus Compounds