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Volume 9
Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation
ISSN: 2155-6199
Biofuel Congress 2018 &
Biomass 2018
September 04-06, 2018
JOINT EVENT
September 04-06, 2018 | Zurich, Switzerland
13
th
Global Summit and Expo on
Biomass and Bioenergy
&
12
th
World Congress on
Biofuels and Bioenergy
The most important factors influencing human exposure assessments of brominated flame retardants
(BFRs) via indoor dust ingestion
Layla S Al-Omran
University of Basrah, Iraq
B
rominated flame retardants (BFRs) are industrial chemicals widely used in consumer products to enhance their ignition
resistance. Since in most applications these chemicals are used additively, they can transfer from such products into the
environment. The toxicity of some BFRs has led to concern about human exposure. Ingestion of indoor settled dust appears
to represent a major pathway of exposure to BFRs. However, assessment of human exposure is rendered uncertain because of
a lack of knowledge about spatial and temporal variation, dust particle size and sampling collection method. Thus, the study
aims to investigate the most important factors influencing human exposure assessments of BFRs via indoor dust ingestion.
Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and selected novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) were
measured in 305 indoor dust samples from different homes in Birmingham, UK. Our results revealed that substantial within-
room and within-home spatial variability in BFR concentrations was apparent between two floor areas and between elevated
surface and floor dust, due to the varying distances of sampled surfaces from potential BFR sources. BFR concentrations in
elevated surface dust exceeded significantly those in floor dust from the same rooms. Considerable within-room and within-
home temporal variability in BFR concentrations was apparent over a nine month sampling period, that is likely attributable
to changes in room contents. Exposure estimates based on analysis of a dust sample taken from one specific floor area at one
specific point in time may not be entirely representative of human exposure in that room. While concentrations of higher
brominated compounds did not differ significantly between different dust particle size fractions, those of lower brominated
compounds were significantly higher in the finest particle size, underlining the importance of selecting the most appropriate
dust particle size for the purpose of exposure assessment. BFR concentrations in researcher-collected dust were higher than
those in household vacuum dust.
Recent Publications
1. Björklund, J A, U Sellstrom, C A de Wit, M Aune, S Lignell and P O Darnerud (2012) Comparisons of polybrominated
diphenyl ether and hexabromocyclododecane concentrations in dust collected with two sampling methods and matched
breast milk samples. Indoor Air 22(4):279-288.
2. Cao Z G, G Yu, Y S Chen, Q M Cao, H Fiedler, S B Deng, J Huang and B Wang (2012) Particle size: a missing factor in risk
assessment of human exposure to toxic chemicals in settled indoor dust. Environment International 49:24-30.
3. Fang M and H M Stapleton (2014) Evaluating the bioaccessibility of flame retardants in house dust using an in vitro tenax
bead-assisted sorptive physiologically based method. Environmental Science & Technology 48(22):13323-13330.
Layla S Al-Omran, J Bioremediat Biodegrad 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.4172/2155-6199-C1-014
Figure1:
Factors influencing human exposure assessments of BFRs via indoor dust ingestion