Brominated and organophosphorus flame retardants in South African indoor dust and cat hair

Abstract

Flame retardants (FRs), such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), are diverse groups of compounds used in various products related to the indoor environment. In this study concentrations of eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), two alternative BFRs and ten OPFRs were determined in indoor dust (n ¼ 20) and pet cat hair (n ¼ 11) from South Africa. The OPFRs were the major FRs, contributing to more than 97% of the total FR concentration. The median Ʃ 10 OPFRs concentrations were 44,800 ng/g in freshly collected dust (F-dust), 19,800 ng/g in the dust collected from vacuum cleaner bags (V-dust), and 865 ng/g in cat hair (C-hair). Tris(1-chloro-2propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) was the dominant OPFR in the dust samples with median concentrations of 7,010 ng/g in F-dust and 3,590 ng/g in V-dust. Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) was the dominant OPFR in Chair , with a median concentration of 387 ng/g. The concentrations of Ʃ 8 PBDEs were higher in F-dust than in V-dust. BDE209 was the dominant BFR in all three matrices. Bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6tetrabromo-phthalate (BEH-TEBP) and 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EH-TBB) showed notable contributions to the BFR profile in cat hair. A worst-case dust exposure estimation was performed for all analytes. The estimated TCIPP daily intake through dust ingestion was up to 1,240 ng/kg bw for toddlers. The results indicate that OPFRs are ubiquitous in South African indoor environment. Indoor dust is a major source of human exposure to environmental contaminants. This can for example occur through hand-to-mouth contact of toddlers, and is an important route of exposure to currently used FRs accumulated on dust particles. The presence of FRs, in particular high concentrations of OPFRs, suggests that children and indoor pet cats may have greater exposure to FRs than adults.

Occurrence and Dietary Intake of Organophosphate Esters via Animal-Origin Food Consumption in China: Results of a Chinese Total Diet Study

“…A global air survey found that OPE level in air was significantly higher than that of PBDEs and other novel FRs . Studies conducted in North America, , Europe, and Africa also confirmed that the contamination of OPEs has surpassed that of BFRs in various matrices. In China, a study conducted in Guiyu, China showed that levels of OPEs in sediments were much higher than that of BFRs .…”

Serum concentration of bisphenol A in elderly cats and its association with clinicopathological findings

“…House dust as a source of contaminants has been reported in the case of flame retardants, when a correlation was found between their concentration in house dust and cat hair or serum. 48–50…”

Human Exposure to Chlorinated Paraffins via Inhalation and Dust Ingestion in a Norwegian Cohort

“…As for several other SVOCs, levels of CPs in the indoor environment were higher than in the outdoors and varied with the types of buildings based on studies of both indoor and outdoor window films and air samples. , Concentrations of total CPs as high as mg/g have been reported for indoor dust from several countries worldwide (Table S1), ,− and CP concentrations exceeded those for the other flame retardants analyzed in the same dust samples. ,, Published data for CPs in indoor air (Table S1) are primarily only available for SCCPs and MCCPs, with only one reported study for vSCCPs, and none for LCCPs. There is a lack of data for CP concentrations in paired indoor air and indoor dust from the same microenvironment, and partitioning behavior of CPs between air and indoor dust thus remains unclear.…”