文摘
Few studies have measured the flame retardantspolybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the indoorenvironment. Here, we report measurements of PBDEs inhouse dust samples collected from the Washington,D.C. metropolitan area in the United States. Dust sampleswere analyzed for 22 individual PBDE congeners andour results found PBDEs present in every sample.Concentrations of total PBDEs ranged from 780 ng/g drymass to 30 100 ng/g dry mass. The dominant congenersobserved in the dust samples were congeners associatedwith the pentaBDE and decaBDE commercial mixtures.Ancillary data were collected on the homes and examinedfor any correlations with total PBDE concentrations. Nocorrelations were observed with year of house construction,type of flooring (i.e., hardwood vs carpet) or the numberof television sets or personal computers in the home. However,a significant inverse correlation (p < 0.05) was observedbetween the area of the home and the contribution of BDE209 to the total PBDE concentration in dust. Usingestimates of inadvertent dust ingestion (0.02-0.2 g/day)by young children (ages 1-4), we estimate ingestion of totalPBDEs to range from 120 to 6000 ng/day. Clothes dryerlint was also sampled and analyzed for PBDEs from fiveof the homes and were present in all five samples rangingfrom 480 to 3080 ng/g dry mass. This study demonstratesthat PBDEs are prevalent at relatively high concentrationswithin homes where people, and particularly youngchildren, may be susceptible to exposure.