A Review of a Class of Emerging Contaminants: The Classification, Distribution, Intensity of Consumption, Synthesis Routes, Environmental Effects and Expectation of Pollution Abatement to Organophosphate Flame Retardants (OPFRs)

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 20; no. 12; p. 2874
• Main Authors: Yang, Jiawen, Zhao, Yuanyuan, Li, Minghao, Du, Meijin, Li, Xixi, Li, Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 12-06-2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Bioaccumulation; Contaminants; distribution; Electric power; Environmental effects; Environmental health; environmental impacts; Environmental Pollutants - chemistry; Environmental Pollution; Epigenetics; Esters; Flame retardants; Flame Retardants - chemical synthesis; Humans; Metabolites; Molecular Structure; Municipal solid waste; Neurotoxicity; organophosphate flame retardants; Organophosphates; Organophosphates - chemistry; Organophosphorus Compounds - chemistry; pollution abatement; Review; synthetic routes; synthetic routes; environmental impacts; organophosphate flame retardants; distribution; pollution abatement
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20122874

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) have been detected in various environmental matrices and have been identified as emerging contaminants (EC). Given the adverse influence of OPFRs, many researchers have focused on the absorption, bioaccumulation, metabolism, and internal exposure processes of OPFRs in animals and humans. This paper first reviews the evolution of various types of flame retardants (FRs) and the environmental pollution of OPFRs, the different absorption pathways of OPFRs by animals and humans (such as inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption and absorption), and then summarizes the environmental impacts of OPFRs, including their biological toxicity, bioaccumulation, persistence, migration, endocrine disruption and carcinogenicity. Based on limited available data and results, this study also summarizes the bioaccumulation and biomagnification potential of OPFRs in different types of biological and food nets. In addition, a new governance idea for the replacement of existing OPFRs from the source is proposed, seeking environmentally friendly alternatives to OPFRs in order to provide new ideas and theoretical guidance for the removal of OPFRs.