Review of the occurrence of perfluorinated alkylated substances in house dust and evaluation of the exposure of toddlers to these compounds via house dust

Abstract

Background and Aim: Perfluorinated alkylated substances are in focus of recent research activities because of their potential toxic properties and widespread occurrence in the environment. Within the frame of the PERFOOD project (KBBE-227525), an evaluation of exposure to perfluorinated alkylated substances from house dust has been performed by analysis of currently available literature in order to evaluate the importance of house dust as a carrier compared to the food pathway. Method: The evaluation has been focused on 16 different substances. Deterministic exposure estimations are based on average concentrations reported in house dust and standard assumptions of house dust intake from guidance documents. In addition, probabilistic calculations were done for PFOA based on publications that provide detailed information on the distribution of house dust concentrations. Results: The average exposure estimates considering median concentrations in house dust were 1 – 279 (PFBA), 2 – 2063 (PFBS), 1 - 44 (PFDA), 11 – 109 (PFDoDA), 6 (PFDS), 54 – 559 (PFHpA), 2 - 311 (PFHxA), 1 – 1379 (PFHxS), 7 - 132 (PFNA), 4 - 1724 (PFOA), 0.2 – 2756 (PFOS), 0.1 - 397 (PFOSA), 19 (PFTeDA), 39 (PFTrDA) and 7 – 868 (PFUnDA) (all in pg/kg b.w./d), showing the broad range of exposures. For PFOA, a detailed datasets in three publications allowed a probabilistic evaluation that also considered the range of house dust intake recommendations. Conclusion: A broad range of exposure via house dust was identified. The extent of the exposure estimates for each compound is not only a result of the widespread occurrence data in house dust but also based on the assumed amount of orally ingested house dust. The reliability of those data should be considered more in order to reduce the uncertainty in such assessments.