Using archived feathers from Norwegian, Swedish, andGreenlandic white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), we investigatedlong-term (1866−2015) spatiotemporal trends of polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their methoxylated analogues (MeOPBDEs).Concentrations of BDE 47 (constituting 47−65% of ΣPBDEs). were significantly increased in feathers from Sweden, while those of othercongeners remained at similar levels between Sweden and Norway.Among the naturally occurring MeO-PBDEs, 6-MeO-BDE 47 exhibitedhigher levels in Sweden while 2′-MeO-BDE 68 concentrations weresimilar across regions. Concentrations of BDE 47 and 6-MeO-BDE 47were not intercorrelated in Swedish eagles, highlighting the significanceof anthropogenic input and natural origin, respectively, possiblyassociated with enhanced primary production in the Baltic region. Such a natural origin was further supported by the presence of MeO-PBDEs in 35 historical feathers originally collected from 1866to 1957. Furthermore, in eagles from Norway and Sweden, less brominated PBDEs exhibited significantly increasing trends until the1990s that declined considerably thereafter, whereas no apparent decrease was observed for BDE 153 or 154. By comparison, allPBDE congeners showed nonlinear but insignificant changes in Greenland. Additionally, the Swedish eagles showed significantlyincreased levels of ΣMeO-PBDEs, primarily driven by 6-MeO-BDE 47. Our findings indicate that further evaluation of the sourcesand impacts of more highly brominated PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs is warranted.
The full list of coauthors include 17 names