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Determination of the volatile fraction of phosphorus flame retardants in cushioning foam of upholstered furniture: towards respiratory exposure assessment

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to highlight potential exposure in indoor air to phosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) due to their use in upholstered furniture. For that, an analytical method of PFRs by headspace coupled to solid-phase micro-extraction (HS–SPME) was developed on cushioning foams in order to determine the PFRs’ volatile fraction in the material. Tests on model foams proved the feasibility of the method. The average repeatability (RSD) is 6.3 % and the limits of detection range from 0.33 to 1.29 μg g−1 of foam, depending on the PFRs. Results showed that some PFRs can actually be emitted in air, leading to a potential risk of exposure by inhalation. The volatile fraction can be high (up to 98 % of the total PFRs amount) and depends on the physicochemical properties of flame retardants, on the textural characteristics of the materials and on the temperature. The methodology developed for cushioning foams could be further applied to other types of materials and can be used to rate them according to their potential releases of phosphorus flame retardants.

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Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge Angelique De Nieva for the synthesis of the model materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. C2MA, Ecole des Mines d’Alès, Hélioparc, 2 Avenue Pierre Angot, 64053 Pau Cedex 9, and 6 Avenue de Clavières, 30319, Alès, Cedex, France

    Mylène Ghislain, Joana Beigbeder, Loïc Dumazert, José-Marie Lopez-Cuesta & Valérie Desauziers

  2. Agence de l’environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie, 20 avenue du Grésillé, BP 90406 49004, Angers Cedex 01, France

    Mylène Ghislain

  3. Direction de l’évaluation des risques (DER) de l’Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire, Alimentation Environnement Travail (ANSES), 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94701, Maisons-Alfort, Cedex, France

    Mohammed Lounis & Stéphane Leconte

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  1. Mylène Ghislain
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  2. Joana Beigbeder
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  3. Loïc Dumazert
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  4. José-Marie Lopez-Cuesta
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  5. Mohammed Lounis
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  7. Valérie Desauziers
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Correspondence to Valérie Desauziers.

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Ghislain, M., Beigbeder, J., Dumazert, L. et al. Determination of the volatile fraction of phosphorus flame retardants in cushioning foam of upholstered furniture: towards respiratory exposure assessment. Environ Monit Assess 188, 576 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5566-y

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