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Brominated Flame Retardants and Organophosphate Esters in Preschool Dust and Children's Hand Wipes
Kristin Larsson1, Cynthia A de Wit2, Ulla Sellström2
1Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet , Box 210, 171 77 Stockholm , Sweden.
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Pediatric Exposure Science
Background:
- Preschool environments can expose children to hazardous chemicals in indoor dust.
- Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) are common in indoor dust.
- Assessing children's exposure to these chemicals is crucial for understanding potential health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess children's exposure to BFRs and OPEs via preschool dust.
- To identify predictors of chemical presence in dust.
- To investigate correlations between different exposure measurements (dust, hand wipes, urine).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of BFRs and OPEs in 100 preschool dust samples.
- Analysis of BFRs and OPEs in 100 children's hand wipe samples.
- Analysis of diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) metabolite in 113 children's urine samples.
Main Results:
- Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) were the most abundant BFRs in dust.
- Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) was the most abundant OPE.
- Significant correlations were found between dust and hand wipe levels for OPEs and some BFRs, and between TPHP in dust and DPHP in urine.
Conclusions:
- Children's estimated intakes of BFRs and OPEs from preschool dust were below health-based reference values.
- Chemical levels in dust varied based on preschool age (e.g., pentaBDEs in older, DBDPE in newer facilities).
- Further research is needed on the health effects of emerging BFRs and OPEs.
Abstract:
Children spend a considerable part of their day in preschool, where they may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in indoor dust. In this study, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) were analyzed in preschool dust ( n = 100) and children's hand wipe samples ( n = 100), and diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) was analyzed in urine ( n = 113). Here we assessed children's exposure via dust, identified predictors for chemicals in dust, and studied correlations between different exposure measures. The most abundant BFRs in dust were decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) found at median levels of 270 and 110 ng/g dust, respectively. Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) was the most abundant OPE, found at a median level of 79 000 ng/g dust. For all OPEs and some BFRs, there were significant correlations between the levels in dust and hand wipes. In addition, triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) in preschool dust was significantly correlated with the corresponding metabolite DPHP in children's urine. The levels of pentaBDEs in dust were higher in older preschools compared with newer, whereas levels of DBDPE were higher in newer preschools. Children's estimated intakes of individual BFRs and OPEs via preschool dust were below available health-based reference values. However, there are uncertainties about the potential health effects of some emerging BFRs and OPEs.