Spatial distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated biphenyls in lake trout from the Laurentian Great Lakes Jennifer M. Luross a , Mehran Alaee b, * , David B. Sergeant c , Christina M. Cannon b , D. Michael Whittle c , Keith R. Solomon a , Derek C.G. Muir b a Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada N1G 2W1 b National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ont., Canada L7R 4A6 c Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, 867 Lakeshore Road, P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ont., Canada L7R 4A6 Abstract Concentrations of two types of brominated flame-retardants (BFRs); polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) were determined in a single age class of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) collected from the Laurentian Great Lakes in 1997. Mean concentrations of total PBDE were highest in samples from Lake Ontario at 95  22 ng=g wet weight (ww) or 434  100 ng=g lipid weight (lw) while the lowest concentrations were observed in Lake Erie lake trout ð27  8:6 ng=g ww; 117  37 ng=g lwÞ. In all samples, the predominant PBDE congeners were 2; 2 0 ; 4; 4 0 -tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), 2; 2 0 ; 4; 4 0 ; 5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), and 2; 2 0 ; 4; 4 0 ; 6-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-100), which are the primary components of the commonly used penta- BDE formulation flame retardant. Lake trout collected from Lake Huron had the highest concentrations of PBBs ð3:1  1:7 ng=g ww; 15  8:5 ng=g lwÞ, while the lowest levels were detected in fish from Lake Superior ð0:25  0:13 ng=g ww; 1:7  0:89 ng=g lwÞ. In all lake trout samples, 2; 2 0 ; 4; 4 0 ; 5; 5 0 -hexabromobiphenyl (BB-153), a major constituent of the flame-retardant FireMaster BP-6 â , was the predominant PBB congener. Ó 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Brominated flame retardants (BFRs); Polybrominated biphenyl (PBBs); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Lake trout; Great Lakes 1. Introduction Flame-retardants are used to reduce the likelihood of fire in many commercial materials. There are four major groups of flame-retardants: inorganic, halogenated, or- ganophosphorus, and nitrogen-based. Within each of these groups, flame-retardants may be sub-divided as reactive or additive. Reactive flame-retardants are cov- alently bound to the polymer, while additive flame- retardants are blended with the polymer (WHO, 1997). The tendency for additive flame-retardants to escape out of materials has prompted studies to evaluate the effects of these compounds on the environment. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of additive, halogenated flame-retardants that are used in a wide range of products including paints, plastics, textiles, and electronics (WHO, 1994a). PBDEs were Chemosphere 46 (2002) 665–672 www.elsevier.com/locate/chemosphere * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-905-336-4752; fax: +1-905- 336-6430. E-mail address: Mehran.Alaee@cciw.ca (M. Alaee). 0045-6535/02/$ - see front matter Ó 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII:S0045-6535(01)00230-2