US EPA

5540584 

Journal Article 

Phthalates in indoor dust in Kuwait: implications for non-dietary human exposure 

Gevao, B; Al-Ghadban, AN; Bahloul, M; Uddin, S; Zafar, J 

2013 

Yes 

Indoor Air
ISSN: 0905-6947
EISSN: 1600-0668 

Wiley Subscription Services, Inc. 

Malden 

23 

2 

126-133 

English 

22862295 

10.1111/ina.12001 

WOS:000316207400005 

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84875051147&doi=10.1111%2fina.12001&partnerID=40&md5=e738baa4787e0aa131d3dc78e0b818ea
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Phthalates are semivolatile organic compounds with a ubiquitous environmental distribution. Their presence in indoor environments is linked to their use in a variety of consumer products such as children's toys, cosmetics, food packaging, flexible PVC flooring among others. The goal of this study was to investigate the occurrence and concentration of phthalates in dust from homes in Kuwait and to assess non-dietary human exposure to these phthalates. Dust samples were randomly collected from 21 homes and analyzed for eight phthalates. The concentrations of total phthalates were log normally distributed and ranged from 470 to 7800 µg/g. Five phthalates [Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), Benzyl butyl phthalate (BzBP), and Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DcHP)] were routinely detected. The major phthalate compound was DEHP at a geometric mean concentration of 1704 µg/g (median, 2256 µg/g) accounting for 92% of the total phthalates measured. Using the measured concentrations and estimates of dust ingestion rates for children and adults, estimated human non-dietary exposure based on median phthalate concentrations ranged from 938 ng/kg-bd/day for adults to 13362 ng/kg-bd/day for toddlers. The difference in exposure estimates between children and adults in this study supports previous reports that children are at greater risk from pollutants that accumulate indoors. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] 

Public Health And Safety; Indoor air quality; Pollutants