A number of new brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are being found in the environment but the amount of data is still very small. The best studied emerging BFRs are 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane and decabromodiphenyl ethane, with some data for hexabromobenzene, pentabromoethylbenzene, pentabromotoluene, tetrabromobisphenol A derivatives, bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate, 2-ethylhexyltetrabromobenzoate, 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl) cyclohexane, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol. Very little data are available for 2,4,6-tribromophenyl allyl ether, 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether, hexachlorocyclopentadienyldibromocyclooctane, tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate, tetrabromophthalic anhydride, 1,2,5,6-tetrabromocyclooctane, and octabromo-1,3,3-trimethyl-1-phenylindane. Indoor air concentrations are generally higher than outdoor air concentrations, indicating emissions from flame-retarded products. Their presence in indoor air and dust indicates possible human exposure from this pathway, but there are little human data available to determine this. The presence of several of these BFRs in fish, birds, and mammals indicates that they are bioavailable and can be absorbed and bioaccumulated. Their presence in outdoor air and in the Arctic indicates that several are capable of long range atmospheric transport. More data on these new BFRs are needed in order to determine if they pose unacceptable risks to the environment and to human health.

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Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) is a brominated flame retardant (BFR) used as a replacement for the structurally similar decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), which is a regulated environmental contaminant of concern. DBDPE has been found in indoor dust, sewage sludge, sediment, and biota, but little is known about its occurrence and distribution in the environment In this paper, sediment was analyzed from 11 isolated Swedish lakes and along a transect running from central Stockholm through the Stockholm archipelago to the Baltic Sea. DBDPE was present in all samples. In lake sediment, the levels ranged from 0.23 to 11 ng/g d.wt. and were very similar to the levels of decaBDE (0.48-11 ng/g d.wt.). Since the lakes have no known point sources of BFRs, their presence in the sediments provides evidence for long-range atmospheric transport and deposition. In the marine sediment, the DBDPE and decaBDE levels decreased by a factor of 20-50 over 40 km from the inner harbor to the outer archipelago. There the DBDPE and decaBDE levels were similar to the levels in nearby isolated lakes. The results indicate that contamination of the Swedish environment with DBDPE has already approached that of decaBDE, and that this contamination is primarily occurring via the atmosphere.

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Non-specific building-related symptoms (NBRSs) describe various symptoms in those affected. Questionnaires are the first step in investigating suspected NBRSs in office environments and have been used for over two decades. However, changes in reporting of symptoms among office workers over time are currently unknown. The overall aim was thus to investigate if reported symptoms and perceived causality to the office environment have changed during 25 years of using the MM 040 NA Office questionnaire. A cross-sectional study of 26,477 questionnaires from 1995–2020 was conducted, where 12 symptoms and perceived causality to office environment were examined using logistic regression analyses of 5-year groups adjusted for sex and atopy. Reporting trends in the year groups varied slightly among symptoms, but eight symptoms were statistically significant in the 2015–2020 group compared to the 1995–1999 group. Seven symptoms had increased: fatigue, heavy-feeling head, headache, difficulties concentrating, itchy/irritated eyes, congested/runny nose, and dry/red hands. One symptom decreased: hoarseness/dry throat. Perceived causality of symptoms to the office environment decreased to a statistically significant degree in 2015–2020 for 11 symptoms, and there was an overall trend of decreasing perceived causality throughout the year groups for most symptoms. The observed time trends suggest a need for up-to-date reference data, to keep up with changes in symptom reporting in office environments over time.

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