Detection of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Furniture Foam and U.S. House Dust

Abstract

Restrictions on the use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have resulted in the increased use of alternate flame retardant chemicals to meet flammability standards. However, it has been difficult to determine which chemical formulations are currently being used in high volumes to meet flammability standards since the use of flame retardant formulations in consumer products is not transparent (i.e. not provided to customers). To investigate chemicals being used as replacements for PentaBDE in polyurethane foam, we analyzed foam samples from 26 different pieces of furniture purchased in the United States primarily between 2003 and 2009 using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Samples included foam from couches, chairs, mattress pads, pillows, and, in one case, foam from a sound proofing system of a laboratory grade dust sieve. Fifteen of the foam samples contained the flame retardant tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP; 1-5% by weight), four samples contained tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP; 0.5 -2.2 % by weight), one sample contained brominated chemicals found in a new flame retardant mixture called Firemaster 550 (4.2% by weight), and one foam sample collected from a futon likely purchased prior to 2004 contained PentaBDE (0.5% by weight). Due to the high frequency of detection of the chlorinated phosphate compounds in furniture foam, we analyzed extracts from 50 house dust samples collected between 2002 and 2007 in the Boston, MA area for TDCPP, TCPP, and another high volume use organophosphate-based flame retardant used in foam, triphenylphosphate (TPP). Detection frequencies for TDCPP and TPP in the dust samples were >96% and were log normally distributed, similar to observations for PBDEs. TCPP was positively detected in dust in only 24% of the samples, but detection was significantly limited by a co-elution problem. The geometric mean concentrations for TCPP, TDCPP and TPP in house dust were 570, 1890, and 7360 ng/g, respectively, and maximum values detected in dust were 5490, 56,080 and 1,798,000 ng/g, respectively. These data suggest that levels of these organophosphate flame retardants are comparable, or in some cases, greater than, levels of PBDEs in house dust. The high prevalence of these chemicals in foam and the high concentrations measured in dust (as high as 1.8 mg/g), warrant further studies to evaluate potential health effects from dust exposure, particularly for children.

Toxicogenomic Responses of Zebrafish Embryos/Larvae to Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) Phosphate (TDCPP) Reveal Possible Molecular Mechanisms of Developmental Toxicity

“…1 Environmental monitoring demonstrated that TDCPP was present in more than 96% of the indoor dust samples examined in the United States, with concentrations ranging from <90 ng/g to 56 μg/g. 4 Higher concentrations of TDCPP (mean = 130 μg/g) were detected in car dust in Germany. 5 These data suggest that human exposure to TDCPP might commonly occur in some areas.…”

Bioconcentration, metabolism and neurotoxicity of the organophorous flame retardant 1,3-dichloro 2-propyl phosphate (TDCPP) to zebrafish

“…Due to the adverse health effects caused by brominated flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), many industrial countries have banned or phased-out PBDEs, and OPFRs have been proposed as alternatives (Stapleton et al, 2009). Consequently, the production and usage of OPFRs has increased and now they are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and they are also detectable in biota samples (Stapleton et al, 2009;van der Veen and de Boer, 2012).…”

Levels and distributions of organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in sediment from Taihu Lake, China

“…Usually, the OPs are directly mixed into the materials and are not chemically bonded; therefore, they can be easily released or leached into the surrounding environment from the OP-containing products during manufacture, application, or disposal [4]. Their widespread application has resulted in extensive diffusion and ubiquitous distribution in the environment, for example, in air [8][9][10][11], wastewater and sludge [12][13][14], surface water [6,13,[15][16][17], groundwater [1], sediment [18][19][20], soil [7], and even the human body [21][22][23].…”