title: Human exposure to HBCD and TBBPA via indoor dust in Korea: Estimation of external exposure and body burden.
abstract: Human exposure to brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) mainly occurs through diet and dust ingestion. In this study, the BFR concentrations in 124 vacuum dust samples of six categories of indoor environments (homes, offices, kindergartens, cars, schools, and public indoor environments) and 32 surface dust samples were investigated. The median ΣHBCD concentrations ranged from 106.30ngg-1in home dust to 496.13ngg-1in office dust. The TBBPA concentrations in indoor dust (from 78.87 to 463.81ngg-1) were among the highest compared to other countries because of the high market demand for this flame retardant in Korea. The TBBPA concentrations in surface dust of living rooms were significantly higher (p<0.05) than sleeping rooms, due to the presence of more electrical equipment in living rooms. The estimated daily intakes (EDI) of ΣHBCD and TBBPA (dust+diet) for toddlers were 6.18ngkg-1bwd-1and 2.54ngkg-1bwd-1, respectively. In general, the ΣHBCD estimated body burden of Korean adults showed good agreement with the reported ΣHBCD median concentrations in their sera. Since the developmental health effect of exposure to HBCD was categorized as "high hazard" by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the estimated high body burden of ΣHBCD in Korean toddlers (7.91ngg-1lw) warns us of possible adverse effects on the development of essential systems in their bodies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mandana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barghi
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Su
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Chul
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), UNIST-gil 50, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Deuk
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yschang@postech.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Yoon-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D001822:Body Burden; D004391:Dust; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000032:analysis*; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated
keywords: Dust; HBCD; Human exposure; Indoor environment; Korea; TBBPA