Title:Flame Retardants in Indoor Dust - A Review on the Levels of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Hexabromocyclododecanes
VOLUME: 18 ISSUE: 17
Author(s):Sonia D. Coelho, Ana C.A. Sousa, Tomohiko Isobe, Shinsuke Tanabe and Antonio J.A. Nogueira
Affiliation:Integrated Health Risk Assessment Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Tsukuba, Japan.
Keywords:Flame retardants, hexabromocyclododecanes, human exposure, indoor dust, polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
Abstract:Modern people spend a considerable time of their life indoors, whether at home, at the workplace or at school, or inside vehicles
and public transportation, therefore exposure to a variety of contaminants present indoors is constant and profuse. These contaminants
released from household products tend to accumulate and concentrate in dust which is thus considered as one of the main human
exposure pathways to several chemicals either by inhalation or ingestion. Within this wide range of contaminants polybrominated
diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecanes are included. These two brominated flame retardants have been applied in a vast range of
materials with the aim to inhibit or delay the combustion and prevent the fire progression thus increasing the available time for people to
escape. The extensive usage granted them a ubiquitous presence in the indoor environment and also in humans. Due to their toxicity and
their potential to bioaccumulate these flame retardants have been restricted or banned. However, their persistency in the environment and
the increasing evidences of deleterious effects towards humans and wildlife renders the study of these contaminants a matter of great importance.
In this review we gathered available information on the levels of PBDEs and HBCDs in indoor dust samples collected from different
places and different regions around the world and discuss human exposure to these contaminants through dust.
