New Generation Organic Flame Retardants and the Role of Biotransformation in Bioaccumulation in Convergent Food Webs of Top Predator Birds and Fish

由于对环境和人体健康造成令人担忧的影响而受到关注的化学品包括含有溴和氯的有机阻燃剂（ofr）。ofr包括种类繁多的添加剂和反应性物质。为了减少火灾危险，制造商将这些化学物质放入从家具到纺织品等各种商用聚合物材料中。环境研究继续主要集中在世界范围内具有高产量和/或在环境隔间中确定和大量含量的溴化ofr (BFRs)，例如多溴联苯醚（PBDEs）。研究已经引起了人们对这些BFRs引发癌症、激素紊乱、神经损伤和其他问题的担忧。然而，随后对多溴二苯醚应用的限制导致替代和替代OFR化学品的使用增加。有机磷酸酯FRs （OPFRs）是一个很好的例子，其高产量和广泛应用的聚合物可以追溯到20世纪60年代。尽管世界范围内对环境生物群的了解仍然非常有限，但直到最近一些OPFR环境研究“重新出现”，一些OPFR在室内空气、灰尘、废水和污泥中被报道。环境中已存在的多溴二苯醚等多溴二苯醚降解和/或被生物转化和代谢为其他形式，例如，高溴化多溴二苯醚失去溴原子和/或在鱼类、野生动物和人类体内转化为含oh的多溴二苯醚。这些多溴二苯醚产品可在包括人类在内的暴露生物体中持续和生物积累，并可能引起有害影响。本研究旨在解决Laurentian五大湖模型水生和顶级捕食鸟类和鱼类中新一代和替代BFRs和OPFRs的降解/代谢问题，以及相对于其趋同的鱼类猎物和下层食物网对其命运和生物积累的影响。大湖盆地是数百万加拿大人生活的地方，也是顶级掠食者可能接触到这些新一代ofr的地方。

Among the chemicals that get attention for their worrisome effects on the environment and human health are organic flame retardants (OFRs) that contain bromine and chlorine. OFRs comprise a large and diverse class of additive and reactive substances. To mitigate fire hazards, manufacturers put these chemicals into commercial polymeric materials used in everything from furniture to textiles. Environmental studies continue to focus largely on brominated OFRs (BFRs) with high production volumes and/or established and substantial levels in environmental compartments worldwide, e.g., polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Studies have raised concerns about these BFRs in causing cancers, hormonal disruption, neurological impairment and other problems. However, the subsequent restrictions on PBDE applications have resulted in the increased use of alternative and replacement OFR chemicals. Organophosphate FRs (OPFRs) are a good example with high-production volumes, and wide use in polymers dating back to the 1960's. OPFR environmental research was generally absent until recent "re-emergence" with some OPFRs being reported in indoor air, dust, wastewater and sludge, although knowledge for environmental biota worldwide remains extremely limited. Established BFRs in the environment such as PBDEs degrade and/or are biotransformed and metabolized to other forms e.g. highly brominated PBDEs lose bromine atoms and/or PBDEs convert to OH-containing PBDEs in fish, wildlife and humans. These PBDE products can persistent and bioaccumulate in an exposed organism including humans and may elicit deleterious effects. The proposed research will address the lack of understanding of the degradation/metabolism of new generation and replacement BFRs and OPFRs in model aquatic and top predator birds and fish from the Laurentian Great Lakes, and the influence on the fate and bioaccumulation relative to their convergent fish prey and lower food webs. The Great Lakes basin is where millions of Canadians live and also as top predators are likely exposed to these new generation OFRs.