After the successful ban of the flame-retardant substances called PBDEs in the early 2000s, it got replaced by another problematic chemical group called Organophosphate esters (OPEs). Since then the use of OPEs increased remarkably, however lacking knowledge about their impacts on the environment. The researchers investigated the transportation and occurrence of OPEs and put it into context regarding its potential risks for organisms and humans. Zhiyong Xie from Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon’s Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry led an international group and reviewed recent studies for OPEs in global oceans. The paper recently appeared in the Nature Reviews Earth & Environment Journal.