A new flame retardant in the air

摘要

Scientists operating an atmospheric monitoring network in the U.S.Great Lakes have detected significant quantities of a chlorinated organic chemical that has been on the market for more than 40 years,according to research published in this issue of ES&T (pp 1184-1189).Despite the long commercial history of this compound,which is sold under the name Dechlorane Plus,this is the first report of its presence in the environment.The limited data available for Dechlorane Plus indicate that it is persistent,bioaccu-mulative,and potentially toxic.