Occurrence of bisphenols and phthalates in indoor dust collected from Korean homes

Abstract

Indoor environments are a major source of exposure to contaminants for children owing to long indoor residence time. In particular, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenols and phthalates, which are widely used in household products, are one of the major contaminants in indoor air or dust. Bisphenols and phthalates are ubiquitous in consumer products including toys, packaging, and cosmetics. We investigated the occurrence of 8 bisphenol and 16 phthalate analogues in the indoor dust collected from 49 houses in Korea. The results showed that the concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) were the highest in indoor dust. This was due to the large production volume and relatively low vapor pressure of these compounds. Finally, we attempted to find a correlation between the BPA and DEHP concentrations in indoor dust. A boomerang-shaped pattern was observed between the DEHP and BPA concentrations. It was concluded that the high concentration of DEHP in one part of the boomerang curve might be due to the increase in the usage of plastic products with age.