[Levels and sources of decabromodiphenyl ether and dechlorane plus in Xining and Tianjun, Qinghai Province, China].

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and dechlorane plus (DP), two common additive flame retardants, are widely used in electronic products. Since they are widely spread in both abiotic and biotic environmental samples, they have attracted worldwide attention. This study reported the measurement of the levels of BDE-209 and DP in the atmosphere of Xining City and Tianjun County in Qinghai Province. Compared with other areas, the average levels of BDE-209 in Xining City were higher, 370 pg x m(-3) in summer and 470 pg x m(-3) in winter, and that in Tianjun County were 220 pg x m(-3) and 390 pg x m(-3), respectively. Meanwhile, the average level of DP was at a low level both in Xining (0.85 pg x m (-3) and 0.25 pg x m(-3) in summer and winter) and Tianjun (0.24 pgx m(-3) and 0.16 pg x m(-3) in summer and winter), which showed that the level of DP in Xining was higher than that in Tianjun and the level of DP in summer was higher than that in winter. The anti-DP fractional abundances (f(anti)) in Xining City and Tianjun County were 0.66 +/- 0.04 and 0.68 +/- 0.06, respectively. Neither seasonal variation nor spatial variation of f (anti) was found at the sampling sites. A weak inverse correlation was found between the level of BDE-209 and DP in Qinghai,suggesting that the local sources of the two pollutants may be different.