Alternate and New Brominated Flame Retardants Detected in U.S. House Dust

Abstract

Due to the voluntary withdrawals and/or bans on the use of two polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) commercial mixtures, an increasing number of alternate flame retardant chemicals are being introduced in commercial applications. To determine if these alternate BFRs are present in indoor environments, we analyzed dust samples collected from 19 homes in the greater Boston, MA area during 2006. Using pure and commercial standards we quantified the following brominated flame retardant chemicals using GC/ECNI-MS methods: hexabromocyclododecane (sigma HBCD), bis(2,4,6,-tribromphenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and the brominated components found in Firemaster 550 (FM 550): 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) and (2-ethylhexyl)tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), the latter compound being a brominated analogue of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). The concentrations of all compounds were log-normally distributed and the largest range in concentrations was observed for HBCD (sum of all isomers), with concentrations ranging from <4.5 ng/g to a maximum of 130,200 ng/g with a median value of 230 ng/g. BTBPE ranged from 1.6 to 789 ng/g with a median value of 30 ng/g and DBDPE ranged from <10.0 to 11,070 ng/g with a median value of 201 ng/g. Of the FM 550 components, TBB ranged from <6.6 to 15,030 ng/g with a median value of 133 ng/g; whereas TBPH ranged from 1.5 to 10,630 ng/g with a median value of 142 ng/g. Furthermore, the ratio of TBB/TBPH present in the dust samples ranged from 0.05 to 50 (average 4.4), varying considerably from the ratio observed in the FM 550 commercial mixture (4:1 by mass), suggesting different sources with different chemical compositions, and/or differential fate and transport within the home. Analysis of paired dust samples collected from different rooms in the same home suggests HBCD, TBB, and TBPH are higher in dust from the main living area compared to dust collected in bedrooms; however, BTBPE and DBDPE levels were comparable between rooms. This study highlights the fact that numerous types of brominated flame retardants are present in indoor environments, raising questions about exposure to mixtures of these contaminants.

Occurrence of Halogenated Flame Retardants in Sediment off an Urbanized Coastal Zone: Association with Urbanization and Industrialization

“…46,47 The relative abundances of TBB and TBPH were also quite small (<1%), probably because the commercial product Firemaster 550 containing these chemicals was only introduced in 2003. 48 A positive correlation (r 2 = 0.53; p < 0.0001) (SI Figure S9) Figure 2. Correlation between the population densities and halogenated flame retardant (HFR) concentrations for the council districts of Hong Kong.…”

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers vs Alternate Brominated Flame Retardants and Dechloranes from East Asia to the Arctic

“…High atmospheric concentrations of BTBPE were observed in the U.S. (4À70 pg m À3 14 ) and in Guangzhou, China (3.8À67 pg m À3 35 ). EHTBB was first reported in house dust from the U.S., 15 and Lee et al reported qualitatively their worldwide occurrence within the GAPS Network. 28 In seawater, PBT, DPTE, and HBB were the most frequently detected compounds (78%, 56%, and 100% detection frequency, respectively) with concentrations from n.d.À0.4, n.d.À1.6, and 0.006À0.1 pg L À1 .…”

Levels and sources of brominated flame retardants in human hair from urban, e-waste, and rural areas in South China

“…Their production and use are expected to mount in the coming future with the increasing regulations and phasing-out of the commercial PBDEs from the market. DBDPE and BTBPE are widespread in the environment and organisms (Gauthier et al, 2009;Hoh et al, 2005;Law et al, 2006;Stapleton et al, 2008a;Venier and Hites, 2008;Zhang et al, 2009). Recently, Zhang et al (2009) studied the temporal trend of DBDPE and PBDE in Dongjiang River which runs through Dongguan city, one of the largest manufacturing bases of electronic products in South China.…”