US EPA

3227425 

Journal Article 

Hexabromocyclododecanes in the indoor environment of two cities in South China: Their occurrence and implications of human inhalation exposure 

Hong, J; Gao, S; Chen, L; Han, Q; Yu, Z; Peng, P; Fu, J 

2016 

Yes 

Indoor and Built Environment
ISSN: 1420-326X
EISSN: 1423-0070 

25 

1 

41-49 

English 

10.1177/1420326X13499170 

WOS:000370704800005 

Indoor and outdoor air samples were collected from two industrialized cities (Guangzhou and Foshan) in Southern China to determine the concentrations and diastereoisomer profiles of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in built environments. The mean concentrations of total HBCDs in air were 5.43pg m(-3) in homes, 8.21pg m(-3) in offices, 48.2pg m(-3) in other workplaces and 33.3pg m(-3) in the air outdoors. These HBCD levels are slightly higher than or comparable with those at the remote or urban sites in the United States, but are significantly lower than those in the European atmosphere. Diastereoisomer profiles of the samples indicated that -HBCD was the dominant isomer, with a relative abundance ranging from 53.2% to 83.0%, which is notably different from its fractions in the air samples from the UK and the domestic technical-grade mixtures. Analysis of the gas-particle distribution showed that HBCDs were present predominantly (87.6-99.9%) in the particle phase. The estimated average daily human exposure to HBCDs via inhalation was 0.39ng day(-1) for adults, which is one order of magnitude lower than the values (5.0 and 5.47ng day(-1)) for the UK adults reported in two other studies. Further air and dust sampling and continued monitoring are needed to improve our understanding of human exposure to HBCDs. 

Diastereoisomer profiles; Hexabromocyclododecane; Human exposure; Indoor air; Partition