Abstract
Brominated flame retardants are important in modern life. They are used at relatively high concentrations in electronic equipment such as computers and television sets, in textiles, cars and in many other applications. Here we show that two groups of these flame retardants, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are present in sperm whales, which normally stay and feed in deep water, indicating that these compounds have reached deep ocean waters.
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de Boer, J., Wester, P., Klamer, H. et al. Do flame retardants threaten ocean life?. Nature 394, 28–29 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/27798
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/27798
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