WP5 Indoor Environments
Room 17A/B, Level 4
2:10 PM - 5:30 PM, Wednesday, 12 November 2003
Chair: Ulrich, Elin ,
Co-chair: Butt, Craig ,
(446) Distribution of phthalates and PBDE in air and house dust.
Camann, David1, Rudel, Ruthann2, Yau, Alice1, Sun, Gang1, 1 Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA2 Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
ABSTRACT- Phthalates and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are synthetic organic chemicals which disrupt the endocrine system. Phthalates are reproductive toxicants to which people are widely exposed through their pervasive use to make plastics flexible and in cosmetics, deodorants, and other consumer products. PBDE are used as flame retardants in polyurethane foam, textiles, and plastic electronic casings, and their body burdens have rapidly increased in humans and animals in North America. Concentrations of nine phthalates and three PBDE were determined in indoor air and house dust samples from the homes of 120 elderly women in a study of breast cancer and the environment on Cape Cod, MA and compared to levels determined by others. Prevalent phthalates in air and dust were diethyl (DEP), di-isobutyl (DIBP), dibutyl (DBP), butylbenzyl (BBzP), and diethylhexyl (DEHP). 90th percentile concentrations in Cape Cod indoor air (ng/m3) were DEP (1600), DBP (430), DEHP (210), DIBP (150), and BBzP (68). Outdoor levels appear substantially lower than indoors. Personal air levels of DEP, DIBP, and DEHP appear higher than indoors, but simultaneous measurements are lacking. PBDE were not detected in indoor air (< 2 ng/m3). 90th percentile concentrations in Cape Cod house dust (
g/g) were DEHP (850), BBzP (277), DBP (44), DEP (11), DIBP (5.0), BDE 99 (4.1), BDE 47 (2.3), and BDE 100 (0.7). Other PBDE are present at lower levels in dust than the three measured PBDE. Detection limits in air and dust were substantially elevated for those phthalates which were laboratory-introduced contaminants.
Key words: polybrominated diphenyl ethers, phthalates, indoor, dust