title: Air sampling of flame retardants based on the use of mixed-bed sorption tubes--a validation study.
abstract: An analytical methodology using automatic thermal desorption and gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis was optimized and validated for simultaneous determination of a set of components from three different flame retardant chemical classes: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (PBDE-28, PBDE-47, PBDE-66, PBDE-85, PBDE-99, PBDE-100), organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) (tributyl phosphate, tripropyl phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate-, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, tris(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate and tricresylphosphate), and "novel" brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) (pentabromotoluene, 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromoethylbenzene, (2,3-dibromopropyl) (2,4,6-tribromophenyl) ether, hexabromobenzene, and 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate) in air. The methodology is based on low volume active air sampling of gaseous and particulate air fractions on mixed-bed (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/Tenax TA) sorption tubes. The optimized method provides recoveries >88%; a limit of detection in the range of 6-25 pg m(-3) for PBDEs, 6-171 pg m(-3) for PFRs, and 7-41 pg m(-3) for NBFRs; a linearity greater than 0.996; and a repeatability of less than 10% for all studied compounds. The optimized method was compared with a standard method using active air sampling on XAD-2 sorbent material, followed by liquid extraction. On the one hand, the PDMS/Tenax TA method shows comparable results at longer sampling time conditions (e.g., indoor air sampling, personal air sampling). On the other hand, at shorter sampling time conditions (e.g., sampling from emission test chambers), the optimized method detects up to three times higher concentrations and identifies more flame retardant compounds compared to the standard method based on XAD-2 loading.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk and Health Unit, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium. borislav.lazarov@vito.be.
authors.forename: Borislav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lazarov
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk and Health Unit, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Swinnen
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk and Health Unit, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spruyt
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk and Health Unit, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.affiliation: Environment, Nature and Energy Department, Flemish Government, Koning Albert II-laan 20 (8), 1000, Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Campenhout
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk and Health Unit, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Eddy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goelen
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Covaci
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk and Health Unit, VITO, Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stranger
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D057230:Limit of Detection; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000032:analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D010755:Organophosphates
keywords: Air monitoring; Flame retardants; GC/MS; Indoor environment; Mixed-bed sampling; Thermal desorption