TA7 Alkylphenols and Alkylphenol Ethoxylates
Room 18C/D, Level 4
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Chair: Loyo-Rosales, Jorge ,
(228) Distribution of alkylphenols and their ethoxylates in indoor air and house dust.
Camann, David1, Rudel, Ruthann2, Yau, Alice1, Valenti, Michele1, Zuniga, Michelle1, Sun, Gang1, 1 Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA2 Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
ABSTRACT- Alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEO) are common surfactants in detergents and cleaners, personal care products, and latex paints. APEO are endocrine active since they mimic estradiol in biological systems. Samples of indoor air collected over 24 hours on a quartz fiber filter and polyurethane foam/XAD-2 and vacuumed surface dust were obtained from the homes of 120 elderly women in a study of breast cancer and the environment on Cape Cod, MA. The filter/PUF/XAD-2 was shake-extracted with dichloromethane (DCM) in acidified glassware. Acidified sieved fine dust (< 150 
m) was sonic-extracted with DCM. 4-nonylphenol (4NP), 4-octylphenol (4OP) and the NP and OP mono- and di-ethoxylates (1EO and 2EO) were determined in derivatized extracts by GC/MS selected ion monitoring analysis. 4NP, NP1EO, and OP1EO were detected in over 90% of air samples, while 4NP, NP1EO, NP2EO, and NP monoethoxycarboxylate (NP1EC) were found in 80% or more of dust samples. Median and 90th percentile concentrations in Cape Cod indoor air (ng/m3) were 4NP (110, 230), NP1EO (17, 41), NP2EO (< 4, 9), and OP1EO (9, 21). Outdoor air levels appear substantially lower than indoors. Median and 90th percentile concentrations in Cape Cod house dust (g/g) were 4NP (2.6, 5.6), NP1EO (3.4, 8.6), NP2EO (5.3, 19), NP1EC (2.1, 6.2), OP1EO (0.13, 1.0), and OP2EO (0.3, 1.2). 4OP was not detected in indoor air (< 1 ng/m3) and seldom found in dust. Air and dust distributions of NP and its ethoxylates follow the expected gradient based on vapor pressure: 4NP > NP1EO > NP2EO in indoor air, but 4NP < NP1EO < NP2EO in fine surface dust.
Key words: alkylphenol ethoxylates, alkylphenols, indoor, dust