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Occurrence of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in indoor dust from different microenvironments: levels, profiles, and human exposure

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Abstract

The levels and distributions of hexabromocyclododecane diastereoisomers (HBCDs) (including α, β, and γ-HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) were investigated in indoor dust from bedrooms and offices. HBCDs diastereoisomers were the most abundant compounds in the dust samples, and the concentrations of ∑HBCDs in the bedrooms and offices ranged from 10.6 to 290.1 ng/g and 17.6 to 1521.9 ng/g, respectively. The concentrations of target compounds in the offices were generally higher than those in the bedrooms, probably due to the presence of more electrical equipment in the offices. In this study, highest levels of target compounds were all found in the electronics. In the bedrooms, the highest mean level of ∑HBCDs was found in air conditioning filter dust (118.57 ng/g), while the personal computer table surface dust showed the peak mean concentrations of ∑HBCDs (290.74 ng/g) and TBBPA (539.69 ng/g) in the offices. Interestingly, a significantly positive correlation was observed between the concentrations of ∑HBCDs in windowsills and beddings dust in the bedrooms, suggesting beddings was one of the crucial sources of ∑HBCDs in the bedrooms. The high dust ingestion values of ∑HBCDs and TBBPA were 0.046 and 0.086 ng/kg bw/day for adults, while 0.811 and 0.04 ng/kg bw/day for toddlers, respectively. The high dermal exposure values of ∑HBCDs were 0.026 and 0.226 ng/kg bw/day for adults and toddlers, respectively. Except for dust ingestion, other human exposure pathways (such as the dermal contact with beddings and furniture) should be paid attention.

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Acknowledgements

This work was finally supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41603086), Guangdong Science and Technology Program (2021B1212040008, Open Fund No. 20211001), and Basic and Applied Basic Research Project of Guangzhou (202201010685).

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  1. College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Jing Wang, Yueshang Lou, Kexin Mo, Xiaobo Zheng & Qian Zheng

  2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Pollution Abatement and Environmental Safety, Guangzhou, 510000, China

    Xiaobo Zheng & Qian Zheng

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  1. Jing Wang
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Contributions

Jing Wang: Validation, Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Yueshang Lou: Methodology, Formal analysis. Kexin Mo: Methodology, Formal analysis. Xiaobo Zheng: Sample collection, Formal analysis, Writing - review & editing. Qian Zheng: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Wang, J., Lou, Y., Mo, K. et al. Occurrence of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in indoor dust from different microenvironments: levels, profiles, and human exposure. Environ Geochem Health 45, 6043–6052 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01620-w

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