Flame retardant exposures in California early childhood education environments.
Infants and young children spend as much as 50h per week in child care and preschool. Although approximately 13 million children, or 65% of all U.S. children, spend some time each day in early childhood education (ECE) facilities, little information is available about environmental exposures in these environments. We measured flame retardants in air and dust collected from 40 California ECE facilities between May 2010 and May 2011. Low levels of six polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners and four non-PBDE flame retardants were present in air, including two constituents of Firemaster 550 and two tris phosphate compounds [tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and tris (1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP)]. Tris phosphate, Firemaster 550 and PBDE compounds were detected in 100% of the dust samples. BDE47, BDE99, and BDE209 comprised the majority of the PBDE mass measured in dust. The median concentrations of TCEP (319 ng g(-1)) and TDCIPP (2265 ng g(-1)) were similar to or higher than any PBDE congener. Levels of TCEP and TDCIPP in dust were significantly higher in facilities with napping equipment made out of foam (Mann-Whitney p-values<0.05). Child BDE99 dose estimates exceeded the RfD in one facility for children<3 years old. In 51% of facilities, TDCIPP dose estimates for children<6 years old exceeded age-specific "No Significant Risk Levels (NSRLs)" based on California Proposition 65 guidelines for carcinogens. Given the overriding interest in providing safe and healthy environments for young children, additional research is needed to identify strategies to reduce indoor sources of flame retardant chemicals.
Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Electronic address: abradman@berkeley.edu.
Asa
A
Bradman
Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Rosemary
R
Castorina
Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Fraser
F
Gaspar
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, USA.
Marcia
M
Nishioka
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Maribel
M
Colón
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Walter
W
Weathers
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Peter P
PP
Egeghy
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Randy
R
Maddalena
California Air Resources Board, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Jeffery
J
Williams
California Air Resources Board, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Peggy L
PL
Jenkins
Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Thomas E
TE
McKone
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D002140:California; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000032:analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012574:Schools; D014481:United States
D000393:Air Pollutants; D004391:Dust; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D010755:Organophosphates
Child care; Children; Exposure; Flame retardant; PBDEs