PHOTO-DECOMPOSITION OF A COMMERCIAL POLYBROMINATED BIPHENYL FIRE RETARDANT - HIGH-RESOLUTION GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS uri icon

abstract

  • The photolytic degradation of fireMaster BP-6, a commerical polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) fire retardant, was investigated by using high-resolution, isomer-specific, fused silica capillary gas chromatography. During photolysis the more highly brominated PBB congeners diminished in concentration, while those possessing three, four, or five bromines per biphenyl increased, consistent with a reductive dehalogenation pathway. Unlike the photolysis of single cogeners, a preferential loss of ortho bromines was not found. Those PBBs which have been identified as the most toxic (i.e., those containing no ortho bromines) did, nevertheless, increase approximately 4-fold, and this increase may explain the enhanced toxicity of photolyzed fireMaster BP-6. 1983, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY

author list (cited authors)

  • ROBERTSON, L. W., CHITTIM, B., SAFE, S. H., MULLIN, M. D., & POCHINI, C. M.

citation count

  • 14

complete list of authors

  • ROBERTSON, LW||CHITTIM, B||SAFE, SH||MULLIN, MD||POCHINI, CM

publication date

  • March 1983