Occurrence of legacy and emerging organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) on silicone wristbands: Comparison within couples

Novel organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are recently identified and highly detected in indoor dusts, but their personal exposure was not clear. Here, wristband was used to estimate non-dietary exposure to emerging OPFRs in comparison with legacy OPFRs in 93 adults in Beijing, China. Comparison of studies in wristband monitoring data showed a clear difference in profiles of legacy OPFRs between China and United States, where tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) was usually the dominant OPFR in the United States, but triphenyl phosphate has the highest contribution to total OPFRs in China. Five emerging OPFRs, including diethylene glycol bis(bis(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate) (DEGBBCPP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phenyl phosphate (BEHPP), were detected in above 45 % of wristbands. The median concentration of DEGBBCPP (2.2 ng/g) was about three times higher than TDCIPP (0.76 ng/g), a legacy chloro-OPFR. Both emerging and legacy OPFRs were significantly correlated within 40 pairs of couples, suggesting major exposure in their homes. Wristbands from husbands had significantly higher tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) and DEGBBCPP, while 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) was significantly higher in wives' bands, suggesting gender-related exposure sources for these OPFRs.