Occurrence and levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in house dust and hair samples from Northern Poland; an assessment of human exposure

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are among most ubiquitous compounds to be found in indoor environment and ingestion of household dust is considered an important route of exposure to PBDEs, especially in toddlers and young children. The present work reported concentration levels of PBDE congeners (PBDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, -183 and -209) in hair and dust samples from selected households from Northern Poland. The concentrations of PBDEs in dust ranged from <MDL to 615ngg−1 while from <MDL to 25ngg−1 in human hair. PBDE-209 was reported the dominating congener. Two separated exposure scenarios (mean and 95th percentile) were used to provide a comprehensive overview of possible risks arising from ingestion of household dust. The estimated exposure to ∑PBDEs via ingestion of household dust varied from 21 to 92ngd−1 in toddlers and from 3.7 to 20ngd−1 in adults. By comparison of correlation between the concentrations of PBDEs in paired hair and dust samples the present work also investigated the possibility of use of hair for reflecting the actual exposure to PBDEs in humans. Finally the possible uncertainties associated with exposure assessment were investigated in the present study.