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1G - Long-range transport of pollutants (chemicals) (WEP/8) An extensive survey of brominated flame retardants in indoor and outdoor air. Harner, Tom 1, Zhu, Jiping 2, Shoeib, Mahiba1, Wilford, Bryony 3, Jones, Kevin 3, 1 Environment Canada - MSC, Toronto, Ontario, Canada2 Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada3 Lancaster University, Lancaster, Lancashire, U.K. ABSTRACT- Passive air samplers consisting of polyurethane foam (PUF) disks were used to investigate indoor versus outdoor air concentrations and signatures of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), specifically the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Samplers were deployed for three weeks in approximately 80 homes in an urban area (Ottawa, Canada) during the winter of 2002. At the same time, 10 outdoor samplers were deployed throughout the city. Results from an indoor pilot study where passive samplers were co-located with low volume active air samplers showed very good agreement between the two sampling approaches. The results were used to calibrate the PUF disk sampling rate which was found to be about 2.5 m3/day. Results from the pilot study showed that total PBDE concentrations in indoor air was on the order of 200 to 300 pg/m3 for the homes tested and about an order of magnitude higher for offices. These levels are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than reported concentrations for outdoor air suggesting that indoor air / urban / residential areas may be the dominant emission source of PBDEs to the atmosphere. Key words: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), Passive air samplers, Indoor air |
