Biotransfomation of HBCD in Biological Systems Can Confound Temporal-Trend Studies

摘要

Reconstructing historical emissions and accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is often achieved by examining POP concentrations in a well-defined environ- mental compartment. The global monitoring plan, adopted under the Stockholm Convention in 2007, advocates the use of air and human milk and serum as part of their monitoring network. Other media used for temporal trend studies include top-trophic-level animals (e.g., marine mammals), fish, and sediment. The overriding assumption in using any medium to track historic and contemporary emissions of chemicals is that changes in the inputs of any POP into the environment are reflected by a concomitant change in concentration in the medium studied. While it is thought that changes in climate could confound interpretations of temporal trend studies in biota, there is currently no approach to control or correct for this variable.