Five-year trends of selected halogenated flame retardants in the atmosphere of Northeast China

This study collected 227 pairs of gas phase and particle phase air samples in a typical urban city of Northeast China from 2008 to 2013. Four alternative halogenated flame retardants for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were analyzed, namely 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTBB), bis (2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (BEHTBP), syn-dechlorane plus (syn-DP) and anti-dechlorane plus (anti-DP). The average concentrations for EHTBB and BEHTBP were 52 +/- 20 and 30 +/- 200 pg/m(3), respectively, while for syn-DP and anti-DP were 1.9 +/- 5.1 and 5.8 +/- 18 pg/m(3), respectively. Generally, they were frequently detected in the particle phase, and the gas/particle partitioning suggested they were the maximum partition chemicals. The fractional abundance of EHTBB (f(EHTBB)) and syn-DP (f(syn)) were comparable with those in other studies. Strong local sources were identified based on the air parcel backward trajectories and the potential source contribution function. The concentrations of these chemicals were significantly increased during this sampling campaign, possibly suggesting their increasing usages from 2008 to 2013 in China. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.