Article pubs.acs.org/est
Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air and Settled Dust in 30 French Dwellings Olivier Blanchard,*,†,‡ Philippe Glorennec,†,‡ Fabien Mercier,†,‡ Nathalie Bonvallot,†,‡ Cécile Chevrier,‡ Olivier Ramalho,§ Corinne Mandin,§,‡ and Barbara Le Bot†,‡ †
EHESPSchool of Public Health Sorbonne Paris Cité, 35043 Rennes, France INSERM U1085/IRSETResearch Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, 35000 Rennes, France § University of ParisEst/Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB), 77447 Marne-la-Vallée, France ‡
S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are ubiquitous contaminants in indoor environments, emanating from different sources and partitioning among several compartments, including the gas phase, airborne particles, and settled dust. Nevertheless, simultaneous measurements in the three compartments are rarely reported. In this study, we investigated indoor concentrations of a wide range of SVOCs in 30 French dwellings. In settled dust, 40 out of 57 target compounds were detected. The highest median concentrations were measured for phthalates and to a lesser extent for bisphenol A, synthetic musks, some pesticides, and PAHs. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP) were the most abundant compounds. A total of 34 target compounds were detected both in the gas phase and airborne particles. The highest concentrations were measured for diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and synthetic musks in the gas phase and for DEHP, DiBP, DBP, and DINP in the airborne particles. This is the first study on the indoor concentrations of a wide range of SVOCs in settled dust, gas phase, and airborne particles collected simultaneously in each dwelling.
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INTRODUCTION
(settled dust), and dermal pathways, that is, contact with settled dust as well as direct transfer from air to skin.11,12 SVOC concentrations in indoor environments have been documented by numerous studies.1−5 However, simultaneous measurements in the three compartments: gas phase, particle airborne, and settled dust are rarely reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate indoor concentrations of a wide range of SVOCs in French dwellings. Pesticides, phthalates, PBDEs, bisphenols, PCBs, PAHs, and synthetic musks were measured in settled dust, gas phase, and airborne particles collected concurrently in dwellings.
Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) include a large number of chemical compounds used as active substances or additives in building materials and in many consumer products, such as plasticizers, paints, adhesives, cleaning agents, disinfectants, electronic components, flame retardants, personal care products, as well as those emitted by combustion processes. SVOCs are ubiquitous in indoor environments and, thus, are frequently detected in indoor air and settled dust. Pesticides, phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), alkylphenols, parabens, phenols, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), synthetic musks, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified as the major chemical classes of SVOCs in indoor environments.1−5 SVOCs have the ability to partition between gas phase and indoor surfaces, including airborne particles, settled dust, and even the body surface of occupants.6−9 Knowledge of this partition is important in identifying the contribution of the predominant sources and pathways and, therefore, in correctly assessing human exposure.10 Indoor exposure can occur via inhalation, ingestion © 2014 American Chemical Society
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EXPERIMENTAL SECTION Compound Selection. SVOCs were selected using a ranking method based on both toxicity and reported indoor
Received: Revised: Accepted: Published: 3959
December 3, 2013 March 3, 2014 March 3, 2014 March 3, 2014 dx.doi.org/10.1021/es405269q | Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48, 3959−3969
Environmental Science & Technology
Article
levels.13 A literature review provided data on the occurrence of chemicals and indoor settled dust concentrations.5 The toxicity reference doses were retrieved from toxicity databases or calculated from no observed effect levels (or lowest observed effect levels) and uncertainty factors. The highest-ranked chemicals were phthalates, pesticides, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, PBDEs, PFCs, organotins, PCBs, organophosphorous compounds (OPs), and PAHs. We selected 57 substances that can be analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS): 8 phthalates, 9 PBDEs, 3 bisphenols, 11 PCBs, 16 pesticides, 7 PAHs, 2 synthetic musks, and 1 OP (Table 1). Dwelling Selection. Thirty dwellings were recruited from the PELAGIE cohort of pregnant women in Brittany, Western France.14 The selected dwellings comprise 27 single-family houses and 3 apartments located in urban or suburban (n = 12), and rural (n = 18) areas. Half the dwellings were built before 1990; eight have recently been retrofitted (
