title: Exposure to PBDEs in the office environment: evaluating the relationships between dust, handwipes, and serum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as flame retardants in consumer products and are ubiquitous in residential indoor air and dust. However, little is known about exposure in the office environment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined relationships between PBDE concentrations in the office environment and internal exposure using concurrent measurements of PBDEs in serum, handwipes, and office dust.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected serum, dust, and handwipe samples from 31 participants who spent at least 20 hr/week in an office. We used a questionnaire to collect information about work and personal habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found positive associations between PBDEs in room dust, handwipes (a measure of personal exposure), and serum. PBDE office dust concentrations were weakly correlated with measurements in handwipes: r = 0.35 (p = 0.06) for pentaBDE (sum of BDE congeners 28/33, 47, 99, 100, and 153) and 0.33 (p = 0.07) for BDE-209. Hand washing also predicted pentaBDE levels in handwipes: low hand-washers had 3.3 times the pentaBDE levels in their handwipes than did high hand-washers (p = 0.02). PentaBDE in handwipes predicted pentaBDE levels in serum (p = 0.03): Serum concentrations in the highest handwipe tertile were on average 3.5 times the lowest handwipe tertile. The geometric mean concentration of pentaBDEs in serum was 27 ng/g lipid. We detected BDE-209 in 20% of serum samples, at levels ranging from < 4.8 to 9.7 ng/g lipid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our research suggests that exposure to pentaBDE in the office environment contributes to pentaBDE body burden, with exposure likely linked to PBDE residues on hands. In addition, hand washing may decrease exposure to PBDEs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02130, USA. debw@bu.edu
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: McClean
authors.forename: Alicia J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Stapleton
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sjödin
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001822:Body Burden; D001900:Boston; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D006225:Hand; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers