High Levels of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Vacuum Cleaner Dust from California Fire Stations

Abstract

Firefighters are exposed to chemicals during fire events and may also experience chemical exposure in their fire stations. Dust samples from used vacuum cleaner bags were collected from 20 fire stations in California and analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Median dust concentrations were higher for PBDEs (e.g., 47 000 ng/g for BDE-209) than for PAHs (e.g., 220 ng/g for benzo[a]pyrene) or PCBs (e.g., 9.3 ng/g for PCB-180). BDE-209 concentrations in dust from California fire stations were among the highest of any previously documented homes or occupational settings in the world. We examined factors such as the frequency of emergency responses, the number of fire vehicles on site, and building age, but we could not account for the high levels of BDE-209 observed in fire station dust. Based on the findings of our pilot study, we hypothesize that possible sources of BDE-209 in fire stations include contaminated ash tracked back from fire events via boots, clothing, and other equipment as well as specialized equipment treated with BDE-209, including turnout gear and fire vehicles. We suggest possible follow-up studies to confirm these hypotheses.

Measured concentrations of consumer product chemicals in California house dust: Implications for sources, exposure, and toxicity potential

“…Although in vitro toxicity screening data were not available for all PBDEs, other adverse health effects of PBDEs have been summarized elsewhere . BDE‐209 has been widely detected in other California house dust . However, we could not have detected BDE‐209 in our samples because our GC method was not designed to measure compounds with such low volatility.…”

“…BDE-209 has been widely detected in otherCalifornia house dust 46,47. However, we could not have detected BDE-209 in our samples because our GC method was not designed to measure compounds with such low volatility.In addition to PBDEs and OP-FRs, we detected five compounds that are used as flame retardants.…”

Quantification of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Commercial Cows’ Milk from California by Gas Chromatography–Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry

“…Second, California firefighters themselves that have been studied and results from two different populations show that due to their activities their sera contain levels of PBDEs far above those found in the general California population [77, 78]. Third, the dust from a total of 20 fire stations in Southern California contained higher levels of PBDEs compared to dust in residential homes [79]. A common factor among these mentioned studies are the PBDEs that are most prominent or make up the dominant portion namely BDE-47, -99, -153, -154, and -209.…”

Polychlorinated biphenyl and polybrominated diphenyl ether profiles in serum from cattle, sheep, and goats across California

“…Our analytical method did not include analysis for PCB 209 or BDE-209. In future studies, these congeners should be included because PCB 209 is a prominent paint pigment contaminant (Hu and Hornbuckle, 2010) and BDE-209 occurs at high levels due to firefighting activities (Shaw et al, 2013; Shen et al, 2015). …”