Occurrence and profiles of halogenated phenols, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the effluents of waste water treatment plants around Huang-Bo Sea, North China

Highlights: • HOPs were detected in all effluents of twelve WWTPs near Huang-Bo Sea. • The levels of ΣHPs, ΣPBDEs and ΣOH-PBDEs were 77.2–168.5, nd-5.3 and 0.08–0.88 ng/L. • PCP, BDE47 and 6-OH-BDE-47 had the highest detection frequencies. • Positive correlations were found between BDE-47 and its metabolites 6-OH-BDE-47. • Release of HOPs via waste water effluents is necessary to be considered. Halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs), as ubiquitous environment contaminants, have attracted increasing concerns due to the potential adverse health impacts on organisms and even humans. Waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) are one source of HOPs to the environment through their discharge of treated effluent. In this study, the presence and profiles of 6 halogenated phenols (HP), 17 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and 11 hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDE) were investigated in 12 WWTP effluent samples collected near Huang-Bo Sea in Dalian, China. These targeted organohalogen pollutants were found in all the effluent samples with the total concentrations of ΣHPs, ΣPBDEs and ΣOH-PBDEs ranging from 77.2 to 168.5 ng/L, from not-detected to 5.3 ng/L and from 0.08 to 0.88 ng/L, respectively. The most abundant congeners of HPs and PBDEs in the effluents were pentachlorophenol (PCP), BDE-47 and BDE-99, while for OH-PBDEs, 6-OH-BDE-47 and 5-OH-BDE-47 were the most abundant. In addition, the statistical analysis showed that a significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation was observed between BDE-47 and its metabolite 6-OH-BDE-47, indicating that PBDEs may be a source of OH-PBDEs detected in the effluents.