Indoor polybrominated diphenyl ethers in urban China: An exposure and risk assessment based on settled dust from selected urban regions

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Apr 20:714:136808. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136808. Epub 2020 Jan 20.

Abstract

In this study, measurements of seven typical polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in indoor settled dust were summarized in selected urban regions of China. BDE-209 was the most dominant congener in settled dust (1.4-101 μg/g), with a mean contribution of 95%. Indoor exposures to PBDEs were estimated via inhalation, dust ingestion, and dermal absorption. The average daily intake of ΣPBDE was 4.9 to 19.1 ng/day/kg for all the population groups, with >80% of the total exposures from dust ingestion. Exposures in commuting environments (contributing 60%-80% of the total exposures) were higher than those in other microenvironments. The means of hazard indexes ranged from 1.66 × 10-3 to 5.26 × 10-3, which were mainly as a result of exposure to BDE-209, BDE-47, and BDE-99. The average lifetime cancer risks were from 0.03 × 10-9 to 2.37 × 10-9, which indicated the acceptable health risks resulting from indoor PBDE exposure for the Chinese population. The present study could provide valuable information that could be helpful for decision-makers, analysts and researchers to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for the reduction of exposures to semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) for large population groups in China.

Keywords: Exposure; Health risk; Indoor; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Settled dust; Urban China.