Temporal variability of indoor dust concentrations of semivolatile organic compounds

Abstract

Exposure to semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in indoor environments and its potential impact on human health have been receiving increased public attention, because people in developed countries spend over 80% of their time indoors 1 and SVOC levels are several orders of magnitude higher indoors than outdoors. [2][3][4] SVOCs are introduced into indoor residential settings in the form of consumer products, building materials, furnishings, pesticides, and combustion by-products. 5,6 When indoor SVOCs are released from their original sources, they are redistributed over time among the gas phase, airborne particles, settled dust, and other indoor surfaces. 6,7 Consequently, residents can be exposed to indoor SVOCs via inhalation, dermal uptake, and dust ingestion. 8 Of interest, for young children who crawl and play on the floor and have frequent hand-to-mouth activity, dust ingestion has been determined to be a major non-dietary exposure route for several classes of SVOCs including phthalates, 9,10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 10,11

Temporal Trends of Phenol, Paraben, and Triclocarban Exposure in California Pregnant Women during 2007–2014

“…Comparison of our urinary concentrations with those in other U.S. study populations allowed us to observe geographic variations in pregnant women’s exposure to some phenols and parabens, which may be associated with differences in regulatory status, socioeconomic status, racial composition, and potential changes in product use after being pregnant. As other BPA alternatives that were not targeted for analysis in the current study [i.e., bisphenol A bis (2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether, bisphenol A (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) (2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether, and bisphenol AF] were detected in U.S. residential indoor dust collected during 2015–2016, , future studies may benefit by measuring these BPA alternatives to gain insight into trends in total bisphenol exposure. As transparent product composition information is not readily available from all manufacturers, characterizing comprehensive temporal biomarker trends of phenols, parabens, and TCC in pregnant women will help us to understand the effects of regulations or advocacy campaigns on exposure trends and to identify chemicals with similar use or functions in products that are increasing over time.…”

“…Some environmental phenols, parabens, and triclocarban (TCC) are widely used in various consumer and personal care products. , Bisphenols are used as plasticizers, and other phenols and TCC are commonly used as antimicrobial preservatives in toothpaste, soaps, and detergents. − Parabens are primarily used as preservatives in shampoos, lotions, sunscreens, deodorants, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products . Because products containing phenols, parabens, and TCC are widely used, they are detected in U.S. household dust − and in urine of a large, representative sample of the U.S. population as well as pregnant women, infants, and young children. − …”

Assessment of Woodchip Bioreactor Characteristics and Their Influences on Joint Nitrate and Pesticide Removal

“…Methods for analyzing pesticide content of woodchips prior to experimentation were adapted from related methods. , Briefly, three replicates of about 10 g of sieved woodchips were freeze-dried using a HarvestRight (North Salt Lake, UT) freeze dryer, then ground using a Retsch Ball Mill MM 400 (Verder Scientific GmbH & Co. KG) at a frequency of 30 cycles/s for 6 min. Ground samples were sieved using a 106 μm sieve, and about 0.4 g of the sieved samples were weighed out into 15 mL centrifuge tubes.…”

Silicone wristbands as personal passive sampling devices: Current knowledge, recommendations for use, and future directions

“…Dust is also a reasonably convenient matrix since there is typically a large enough amount available for multiple analyses to be conducted similar to wristbands. SVOCs tend to be relatively stable over time in the dust matrix, having low temporal variability over time ( Kim et al, 2021 ; Al-Omran and Harrad, 2018 ). In addition, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has several indoor dust Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) available and certified for several classes of compounds to support QA/QC needs.…”