Direct and Air-Mediated Transfer of Labeled SVOCs from Indoor Sources to Dust

Two small-scale field studies were conducted to investigate the transfer of substances from products into dust due to direct and air-mediated transfer. The project focused on semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), which are frequently found in and re-emitted from dust. For the field studies, four artificial products containing deuterium-labeled SVOCs (eight phthalates and adipates) were installed in residential indoor environments. Two plastic products were installed vertically to investigate substance transfer due to evaporation into air. One plastic product and a carpet were installed horizontally to investigate the direct transfer from source to dust. A pyrethroid was intentionally released by spraying a commercial spray. Dust samples were collected from the floor, elevated surfaces in the room and the surfaces of the horizontally installed products. We observed that the dust concentrations of substances exclusively transferred via air were similar at different collection sites, but the concentrations of chemicals present in horizontal products were up to 3 orders of magnitude higher in dust deposited on the source. We conclude that direct transfer from source into dust substantially increases the final SVOC concentration in dust in contact with the source, regardless of the vapor pressure of investigated SVOCs, and may lead to larger human exposure.