SLUDGE VICTIMS

burdens reported in he world so far'.

These compounds are also detectable in urban and rural air ¹⁰ indicating the potential for long-distance atmospheric transport. It seems that BDEs are an important - but generally unrecognized - persistent Organic Pollutant in the United States. Extensive use of Penta and the high burden of BDEs in land-applied biosolids may facilitate environmental dissemination of less brominated BDEs both locally and globally.

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7. Renner. R.
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1 0. Strandberg, B. et al
Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 1078-1083 (2001).

Supplementary information is available at http://www.nature.com
or as paper copy from the London editorial office of Nature.

VIRGINIA RESEARCHERS FIND" ... HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF AN ENVIRONMENTALLY PERSISTENT CLASS OF ORGANIC POLLUTANTS: "BROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHERS (BDE)" IN SEWAGE SLUDGE. BDEs DETECTED IN 87% OF FISH FROM VIRGINIA WATERS ... INDICATING "SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASE OF THESE POLLUTANTS IS OCCURRING IN THE UNITED STATES AND THAT HUMANS MAY BE EXPOSED TO THEM THROUGH THEIR DIET."