Certain soil bacteria can slowly break down old flame retardants
Yu F, Zhang S, Hu Z
Phytoremediation
If you garden near older buildings, demolition sites, or e-waste recycling areas, the soil microbes doing this cleanup work are part of why contaminated ground eventually becomes safer to plant in.
For decades, a chemical called HBCD was mixed into insulation, electronics, and fabrics to stop fires, and even though it's now banned, it's still leaking out of old products and will keep doing so for over a hundred years. The good news is that certain soil and water bacteria have evolved the ability to chew through this stubborn pollutant, breaking it down piece by piece using special enzymes. Researchers are still working out exactly how these bacterial enzymes do their job, which could eventually help clean up contaminated sites faster.
Key Findings
HBCD half-lives in the environment range from a few days to over 100 days depending on contamination level, pH, redox potential, and hydrodynamic conditions.
Specific bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa HS9, Citrobacter sp. Y3, Alcanivorax sp. SZ2-4) and their enzymes (CYP168A1, HBCD-hd-1, DadAH, DadBH) have been identified as capable of breaking down HBCD.
E-waste recycling zones remain hotspots of severe HBCD contamination even though regulations have curbed the chemical elsewhere.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists reviewed how bacteria break down HBCDs, a banned but still-lingering flame retardant found in old furniture, electronics, and building insulation, identifying specific microbial strains and enzymes that can slowly dismantle these persistent chemicals in soil and water.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Advances in the persistent contamination and microbial degradation of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs).
Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), a class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have been extensively used as additive flame retardants in building materials, textiles, and electronic equipment f...
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