title: 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.
authors: †School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
authors: Beverly
authors: B
authors: Shen
authors: †School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
authors: Todd P
authors: TP
authors: Whitehead
authors: ‡Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Richmond, California 94804, United States.
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: McNeel
authors: §Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94710, United States.
authors: F Reber
authors: FR
authors: Brown
authors: §Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94710, United States.
authors: Joginder
authors: J
authors: Dhaliwal
authors: ‡Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Richmond, California 94804, United States.
authors: Rupali
authors: R
authors: Das
authors: ∥Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California, 5201 California Avenue, Irvine, California 92617, United States.
authors: Leslie
authors: L
authors: Israel
authors: §Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94710, United States.
authors: June-Soo
authors: JS
authors: Park
authors: §Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94710, United States.
authors: Myrto
authors: M
authors: Petreas
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D061388:Firefighters; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014618:Vacuum
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers