**9. Conclusion**

PBDEs were widely used as flame retardants. Due to their effects as endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, and on reproductive capacity as well, knowledge of terrestrial accumulation behavior and, in particular, their uptake by plants for food production is highly relevant. Uptake can occur viasoil-air-plant pathway as well as soil–soil water-root-plant pathway. Transport and plant uptake behavior strongly depend on physical and chemical properties of the BDEs, environmental factors, large-scale atmospheric transport processes, plant properties as well as terrestrial rhizospheres. During both atmospheric and terrestrial transport PBDEs are subject to UV-induced (atmospheric) or microbial induced (terrestrial) transformation

**79**

*Plant Uptake, Translocation and Metabolism of PBDEs in Plants*

and degradation processes like debromination, hydroxylation, methoxylation and ring closure to dibenzofurans. As PBDEs reveal high lipophilicity they tend to adsorption on lipophilic soil matrices and thereby show low uptake via soil–soil water-root-plant pathway and subsequent intrinsic transport. Hence, uptake and intrinsic transport are only expected for low brominated BDEs. Therefore, declining concentrations of PBDEs could be detected from soil via roots to shoots and final fruits, i.e. RCF and TF show negative correlation with their log KOW values. Consistent with this statement, 84% of the human PBDE intake are attributed to respiration and inhalation of dust, while only 16% were correlated with dietary uptake. The actual exposure of vegetarian foods to PBDEs depends on the follow-

• Both microbial degradation and plant uptake of PBDE are elevated by release of easily biodegradable plant extracts like amino acids, organic acids, sugars

• The presence of rhizobia enhances microbial degradation and plant uptake of

• Both atmospheric and terrestrial PBDE uptakes are strongly affected by the morphology of the plant (specific surface of leaves and roots) and the increas-

• PBDE immobilization and accumulation in soil is promoted by increasing TOC levels caused by implementation of compost, sewage sludge, digestates, or

• In contrast, increasing levels of DOC show no effect on plant uptake of PBDEs

• As sewage sludge shows PBDE contamination up to 2.5 w%, it is an important emission source of PBDEs affecting soil contamination. In contrast, PBDE loads of compost and digestates are very low and commonly pollution effects

• A decrease in evaporation losses and an enhanced immobilization tendency of

• Solubilizers, ionic additives and nanoscale organic substances act as mobilizing

• Macroelements as nitrate favor terrestrial PBDE degradation through its func-

• The presence of trace elements supports microbial transformation of PBDE in soil and therefore causes lower contamination of plants. In contrast, heavy metals seem to enforce PBDE uptake by plants by inhibition of terrestrial

• Current mathematical models allow high quality in prediction of the RCF value with a minimum of input parameters. In opposite, the prediction of SCF and TF values is not suitable due to the insufficient coverage of plant-specific

tion as alternative electron acceptor. Hence, plant's load is reduced.

and exoenzymes as commonly observed in symbiosis with rhizobia.

ing lipid content of plant tissues accelerating PBDE uptake.

as long as there is no solubilizing effect by surfactants.

PBDE can be observed in case of raising soil moisture.

agents increasing mobilization and plant uptake of PBDEs.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95790*

ing parameters:

PBDE.

biochar.

are negligible.

biodegradation processes.

parameters.
