Phthalates in Indoor Dust and Their Association with Building Characteristics

Abstract

In a recent study of 198 Swedish children with persistent allergic symptoms and 202 controls without such symptoms, we reported associations between the symptoms and the concentrations of n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in dust taken from the childrens’ bedrooms. In the present study we examined associations between the concentrations of different phthalate esters in the dust from these bedrooms and various characteristics of the home. The study focused on BBzP and DEHP because these were the phthalates associated with health complaints. Associations have been examined using parametric and nonparametric tests as well as multiple logistic regression. For both BBzP and DEHP, we found associations between their dust concentrations and the amount of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used as flooring and wall material in the home. Furthermore, high concentrations of BBzP (above median) were associated with self-reported water leakage in the home, and high concentrations of DEHP were associated with buildings constructed before 1960. Other associations, as well as absence of associations, are reported. Both BBzP and DEHP were found in buildings with neither PVC flooring nor wall covering, consistent with the numerous additional plasticized materials that are anticipated to be present in a typical home. The building characteristics examined in this study cannot serve as complete proxies for these quite varied sources. However, the associations reported here can help identify homes where phthalate concentrations are likely to be elevated and can aid in developing mitigation strategies.

Characteristics and assessment of phthalate esters in urban dusts in Guangzhou city, China

“…Dietary intake is undoubtedly a key exposure source of PAEs (Wormuth et al 2006;Latini et al 2009). Urban dust, which serves as a sink and repository for PAEs, is a particularly important pathway of human exposure to PAEs (Øie et al 1997;Becker et al 2004;Fromme et al 2004;Bornehag et al 2005;Wensing et al 2005;Abb et al 2009;Langer et al 2010;Weschler and Nazaroff 2010). The objective of this study was to investigate the concentration and compositional profile of PAEs in indoor and outdoor dusts collected from the subtropical city of Guangzhou, China, and to assess the potential exposure of dust PAEs.…”

Detection of Hormone-Like and Genotoxic Activities in Indoor Dust from Taiwan Using a Battery of in Vitro Bioassays

“…Suzuki et al (2013) reported that AR antagonist activities were frequently found in indoor dust from Japan, the United States, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and several flame retardants exhibited antiandrogenic activity in the AR-CALUX assay. In addition, several synthetic compounds widely used in our daily lives, such as triclosan, parabens, and phthalates have been shown to elicit antiandrogenic or antithyroid hormonal activities (Chen et al, 2007;Shen et al, 2009;Christen, 2012), and these compounds have been detected in indoor dust as well (Bornehag et al, 2005;Fan et al, 2010). Quantification of these potential AR and TR antagonists may be useful in characterizing major AR/TR antagonist contaminants in indoor dust from Taiwan.…”

Assessing exposure of young children to common endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the home environment: a review and commentary of the questionnaire-based approach

“…The difference in findings may be attributable to a difference in exposure risk between young children (infants) compared with older children. Phthalates in vinyl flooring can disperse into dust, which may explain the greater exposure risk posed by vinyl flooring to young children who may ingest more dust than older children (93). Moreover, these differences could be explained by the greater relative surface area of young children, the increased amount of time that they spend on the floor, and the increased amount of time they spend in the home environment.…”