This study investigates the occurrence of 37 organohalogen and organophosphate flame retardants (FRs) from Norwegian households (n = 48) and classrooms from two primary schools (n = 6). Around 80% of the targeted FRs were detected in air and dust from the sampling sites. The comparison of settled dust with floor dust revealed no statistical differences between median concentrations of the FRs (n = 12). Decabromodiphenyl ether and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate showed the highest median floor dust concentrations in both environments. In the air samples, the highest concentrations were observed for 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate. Remarkably, the emerging FR, 4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)-1,2-dibromocyclohexane, abbreviated as TBECH or DBE-DBCH, showed the highest indoor air concentrations reported in the literature (households, 77.9 pg/m(3) and schools, 46.6 pg/m(3)). Good Spearman correlations between the FR concentrations in dust and air (0.36 < R < 0.76) showed that is possible to estimate the concentrations in air from analyzed dust, or vice versa. Sources and pathways of exposure to FRs were assessed for the households. The main findings were that frequent vacuum cleaning resulted in lower FR concentrations in dust and that dermal contact with dust, for both children and mothers, was as important for the intake of organophosphate FRs as dust ingestion.

The worldwide ban of several formulations of brominated flame retardants has caused an increase in the production of organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) to meet the existing fire regulations for a wide range of household products. This biomonitoring study surveys the occurrence of the metabolites from PFRs and related plasticizers (dialkyl and diaryl phosphates; DAPs) in urine from a Norwegian mother-child cohort (48 mothers and 54 children). Concentrations of DAPs were higher in the children than in their mothers (Wilcoxon signed-rank test p=0.001). Median urinary concentrations of diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) were 1.1 and 0.51ng/mL in children and mothers, respectively, followed by bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) with medians of 0.23 and 0.12ng/mL, respectively. Detection frequencies for bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) in urine from children and mothers were 32 and 1%, respectively (median<0.18ng/mL), and for di-n-butyl phosphate (DNBP) 15 and 8%, respectively (median<0.12ng/mL). The concentrations of DPHP and BDCIPP in urine from children were significantly correlated with those found for their parent compounds in air and dust from the households (Spearman's rank correlations 0.30

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Background Several single-exposure studies have documented possible effects of environmental factors on lung function, but none has relied on an exposome approach. We aimed to evaluate the association between a broad range of prenatal and postnatal lifestyle and environmental exposures and lung function in children. MethodsIn this analysis, we used data from 1033 mother-child pairs from the European Human Early-Life Exposome (HELIX) cohort (consisting of six existing longitudinal birth cohorts in France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, and the UK of children born between 2003 and 2009) for whom a valid spirometry test was recorded for the child. 85 prenatal and 125 postnatal exposures relating to outdoor, indoor, chemical, and lifestyle factors were assessed, and lung function was measured by spirometry in children at age 6-12 years. Two agnostic linear regression methods, a deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) algorithm considering all exposures simultaneously, and an exposome-wide association study (ExWAS) considering exposures independently, were applied to test the association with forced expiratory volume in 1 s percent predicted values (FEV₁%). We tested for two-way interaction between exposures and corrected for confounding by co-exposures. Findings In the 1033 children (median age 8•1 years, IQR 6•5-9•0), mean FEV₁% was 98•8% (SD 13•2). In the ExWAS, prenatal perfluorononanoate (p=0•034) and perfluorooctanoate (p=0•030) exposures were associated with lower FEV₁%, and inverse distance to nearest road during pregnancy (p=0•030) was associated with higher FEV₁%. Nine postnatal exposures were associated with lower FEV₁%: copper (p=0•041), ethyl-paraben (p=0•029), five phthalate metabolites (mono-2-ethyl 5-carboxypentyl phthalate [p=0•016], mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate [p=0•023], mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate [p=0•0085], mono-4-methyl-7-oxooctyl phthalate [p=0•040], and the sum of di-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites [p=0•014]), house crowding (p=0•015), and facility density around schools (p=0•027). However, no exposure passed the significance threshold when corrected for multiple testing in ExWAS, and none was selected with the DSA algorithm, including when testing for exposure interactions.Interpretation Our systematic exposome approach identified several environmental exposures, mainly chemicals, that might be associated with lung function. Reducing exposure to these ubiquitous chemicals could help to prevent the development of chronic respiratory disease.

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The encapsulation of fullerenes with a cyclotriveratrylene derivative, capable to self assemble into a dimer by means of three strong 4-ureidopyrimidinone quadruple hydrogen bonds is described. The system shows preference for C84, allowing its easy enrichment directly from fullerene mixtures.

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