Results from the Swedish National Screening Programme 2009. Subreport 2. Dechlorane Plus

A screening study has been performed concerning Dechlorane Plus (DP). DP is a chlorinated flame retardant that has been used for a long time but has not been noticed as an environmental contaminant until recently. The main reason for its concern is its similarity to other known chloro organic chemicals with adverse effects to the environment. DP was present in air at background locations (Råö, Aspvreten, Pallas) and in higher concentrations in urban air (Stockholm). This supports that DP is capable of long range transport and, as no traditional point sources are known, supposedly emitted from products used in urban areas, such as plastics in electrical insulators. DP was also deposited from the atmosphere. The concentration in air was in the same magnitude as for the brominated diphenyl ether congeners BDE-47 and BDE-99.