title: Development and validation of a multi-residue method for the analysis of brominated and organophosphate flame retardants in indoor dust.
abstract: Flame retardants are associated to numerous adverse health effects, can accumulate in humans and have been used intensively worldwide. Recently, dust has been identified as a major human exposure route for flame retardants. The aim of this study was to develop a multi-residue method using a two-step SPE purification. It enabled us to effectively limit co-extracted matrix/interferets and therefore a simultaneous analysis of brominated and organophosphate flame retardants for indoor dust was achieved. The optimized method was validated according to standard protocol and achieved good accuracy and reproducibility (percent error ranged from -29% to 28%). Standard Reference Material (SRM) for dust was also analysed, and good agreement was found with reported brominated and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) concentrations. The applicability of the validated method was demonstrated by the analysis of ten indoor dust samples from ten Australian homes. Overall 89% of the analytes were detected in these samples. The average concentrations of ∑OPFRs and ∑PBDEs in those samples were 41 and 3.6μg/g, respectively. Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate were the most abundant OPFRs, accounting for 57-92% ∑OPFRs, while decabromodiphenyl ether dominated the Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) congeners contributing between 71-94% to the ∑PBDEs.
authors.affiliation: Entox, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: c.he@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Entox, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Xianyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Phong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.affiliation: Entox, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Jochen F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Entox, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Christie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallen
authors.affiliation: Entox, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Entox, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baduel
keywords: Envi-Carb SPE; GC-MS/MS; Indoor dust; Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Solid phase extraction