Monitoring of hexabromocyclododecane diastereomers in fish from European freshwaters and estuaries

Background and aims Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used mainly in polystyrene foam as well as in textile applications. In recent years,measures were taken to reduce HBCD emissions during its production and use. To evaluate the efficacy of thesemeasures, a monitoring project was initiated with fish as bioaccumulation indicators. Methods Since 2007 bream was sampled annually at several European freshwater sites applying standardized methods. Muscle samples were analyzed by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method which allows the quantification of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-diastereomers of HBCD.