title: Emerging and Legacy Flame Retardants in UK Indoor Air and Dust: Evidence for Replacement of PBDEs by Emerging Flame Retardants?
abstract: Concentrations of 27 emerging (EFRs) and legacy flame retardants (LFRs) were measured in samples of indoor air (n = 35) and indoor dust (n = 77) from UK homes and offices. All target compounds were detected in indoor air and dust samples. Relatively volatile EFRs (e.g., tetrabromoethylcyclohexane-DBE-DBCH) were more frequently detected in indoor air (detection frequencies >60%), while less volatile EFRs (e.g., tetrabromobisphenolA-bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether (TBBPA-BDBPE) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE)) were predominant in dust. Concentrations of some EFRs (e.g., DBDPE) exceeded significantly those reported previously in UK dust (p < 0.05), while concentrations of BDE-209 in office dust were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those reported previously in UK offices, consistent with the application of DBDPE as an alternative to the Deca-BDE formulation, of which BDE-209 is the principal constituent. Moreover, concentrations of BDEs-47 and -99 (both major constituents of the Penta-BDE product) in office air were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those in previous UK studies. Our results constitute important early evidence that restrictions on PBDEs have increased demand for EFRs in the UK, with the result that human exposure to PBDEs in UK homes and offices has decreased while exposure to EFRs has risen.
authors: Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Tao
authors: Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.|Department of Analytical Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University 71526 Assiut, Egypt.
authors: Mohamed Abou-Elwafa
authors: MA
authors: Abdallah
authors: Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors: Stuart
authors: S
authors: Harrad
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor; D004391:Dust; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers