title: Characterizing the sorption of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) to cotton and polyester fabrics under controlled conditions.
abstract: Cotton and polyester, physically and chemically different fabrics, were characterized for sorption of gas-phase polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images and BET specific surface area (BET-SSA) analysis showed cotton's high microsurface area; NMR analysis showed richness of hexose- and aromatic-carbon in cotton and polyester, respectively. Cotton and polyester sorbed similar concentrations of gas-phase PBDEs in chamber studies, when normalized to planar surface area. However, polyester concentrations were 20-50 times greater than cotton when normalized to BET-SSA, greater than the 10 times difference in BET-SSA. The difference in sorption between cotton and polyester is hypothesized to be due to 'dilution' due to cotton's large BET-SSA and/or greater affinity of PBDEs for aromatic-rich polyester. Similar fabric-air area normalized distribution coefficients (K'D, 10(3) to 10(4)m) for cotton and polyester support air-side controlled uptake under non-equilibrium conditions. K'D values imply that 1m(2) of cotton or polyester fabrics would sorb gas-phase PBDEs present in 10(3) to 10(4)m(3) of equivalent air volume at room temperature over one week, assuming similar air flow conditions. Sorption of PBDEs to fabrics has implications for their fate indoors and human exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
authors.forename: Amandeep
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rauert
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
authors.forename: Myrna J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrad
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, 22 Russell Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada; Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada. Electronic address: miriam.diamond@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Miriam L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Diamond
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D032561:Cotton Fiber; D005411:Flame Retardants; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D013784:Textiles / Q000032:analysis*; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005411:Flame Retardants; D005740:Gases; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D011091:Polyesters; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: Chamber study; Chemical sorption; Fabric-air partition coefficients; Fabrics; PBDEs