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 ,
(444) PBDE flame retardants in indoor air.
Orazio, C1, Peterman, P1, Gale, R1, Petty, J1, Huckins, J1, 1 USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO, USA
ABSTRACT- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are added to many resins and polymers to retard flame formation and thereby reduce the fire hazard of the product. Furniture foam, computer casings, electrical components, coatings, textiles and many other products contain 5-30% by weight of PBDEs. Because they are not covalently bound to the polymer, certain PBDEs, depending on their physicochemical properties, can bleed and volatilize from the polymer product, leading to contamination of indoor air. PBDEs have become of concern due to evidence of their rapidly rising concentrations in the environment and their potential toxicity to thyroid function. In this study, we sampled vapor-phase PBDE congeners in indoor air using the semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) passive integrative sampler. Three SPMDs were hung for 132 days (March-July 2002) in a well-ventilated windowless office containing a large polymeric desk, computer, printer, carpet, and foam-cushioned chairs. Samples of room dust were collected from the top of a metal cabinet using a glass fiber filter. Just prior to analysis, the exterior of the SPMD was cleaned to remove dust and the thin film of bled-through triolein. The exposed SPMDs, a control SPMD, and room dust were analyzed for 39 mono-deca BDE congeners by GC/high resolution mass spectrometry (isotope dilution). The SPMDs (90 cm x 2.5 cm, 4 g polyethylene layflat tube with 1 g triolein) accumulated a range of PBDE congeners. The following PBDE congeners (ng) were found in the SPMD: DiBDE 15 (9), TrBDEs 25 (15) and 33/28 (58), TeBDEs 47 (340), 49 (16) and 66 (6), PeBDEs 99 (60) and 100 (24), HxBDEs 153 and 154 (2 ng each), and HpBDE 183 (0.2). Assuming a 3 m3/day sampling rate for PBDE congener 47 (based on PCB congener uptake rates), we estimated 1 ng/m3 of vapor-phase PBDE 47 in the room air. Compared to various levels we have measured in sediments, fish and wildlife, including bloods of eagles, the levels of vapor-phase and dust-bound PBDEs were high enough in the indoor air to create an analytical background problem if not avoided. Special care must be taken to keep samples, solvents and adsorbents away from PBDE-contaminated room air.
Key words: indoor air, PBDE, SPMD, flame retardants