title: Dust levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PBDD/Fs) in the Taiwanese elementary school classrooms: Assessment of the risk to school-age children.
abstract: Elementary school classroom dust is an important source of exposure to polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans and diphenyl ethers (PBDD/DF/DEs) for school-age children. Our goal is thus to investigate concentrations of PBDD/DF/DEs in elementary school classroom dust to further assess the impact on school-age children via ingestion. The dust from classrooms, including both normal (NR) and computer classrooms (CR), was collected from six urban and four rural schools. Fourteen PBDEs and twelve PBDD/Fs were measured using high-resolution gas-chromatography/high-resolution mass-spectrometry. The mean levels of Σ14PBDEs in NR and CR dust from the urban classrooms were 370 and 2510ng/g and those whose dust from the rural classrooms were 464 and 1780ng/g. The means of ΣPBDD/Fs were 0.0401ng-WHO2005-TEQ/g (concentration: 4.72ng/g) in urban NR dust, 0.0636ng-WHO2005-TEQ/g (7.51ng/g) in urban CR dust, 0.0281ng-WHO2005TEQ/g (3.60ng/g) in rural NR dust, and 0.0474ng-WHO2005TEQ/g (6.28ng/g) in rural CR dust. The PBDEs pattern in NR dust was quite different from that in CR dust, but the PBDD/Fs patterns in NR and CR dust were similar. A linearly significant correlation coefficient (n=20, r=0.862, p<0.001) was found between ΣPBDEs and ΣPBDD/Fs in NR and CR dust, indicating that the PBDEs and PBDD/Fs in the dust may be from the same sources in the elementary school classrooms. This study assessed the risks (daily intake and cancer and non-cancer risks) of PBDEs and PBDD/Fs for the children from the classroom dust, and the calculated risk values did not exceed the related thresholds. With regard to the exposure scenarios for school-age children in an indoor environment, the results suggest that they might ingest more dust PBDD/DF/DEs in their homes than in the schools. In conclusion, the exposure of Taiwanese elementary school children to PBDD/DF/DEs via indoor dust was with a safe range based on our findings.
authors: Emerging Compounds Research Center, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung County 912, Taiwan.
authors: Yan-You
authors: YY
authors: Gou
authors: School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Engineering and Material Science and Engineering, Mapúa Institute of Technology, Intramuros, Manila 1002, Philippines.
authors: Danielle E
authors: DE
authors: Que
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan.
authors: Chun-Yu
authors: CY
authors: Chuang
authors: Emerging Compounds Research Center, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung County 912, Taiwan. Electronic address: hrchao@mail.npust.edu.tw.
authors: How-Ran
authors: HR
authors: Chao
authors: Department of Radiology, Pingtung Christian Hospital, Pingtung City, Pingtung 900, Taiwan.
authors: Cherng-Gueih
authors: CG
authors: Shy
authors: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kun Shan University, Yung-Kang Dist., Tainan City 71003, Taiwan.
authors: Yi-Chyun
authors: YC
authors: Hsu
authors: Department of Child Care, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung County 912, Taiwan.
authors: Chun-Wen
authors: CW
authors: Lin
authors: Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung County 912, Taiwan.
authors: Kuo Pin
authors: KP
authors: Chuang
authors: Graduate Institute of Science Education and Environmental Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Yan-Chou District, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan.
authors: Chih-Chung
authors: CC
authors: Tsai
authors: School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Engineering and Material Science and Engineering, Mapúa Institute of Technology, Intramuros, Manila 1002, Philippines.
authors: Lemmuel L
authors: LL
authors: Tayo
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D003201:Computers; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012574:Schools; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004391:Dust; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; C086401:pentabromodiphenyl ether
keywords: Elementary classroom dust; Polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PBDD/Fs); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Risk assessment; School-age children