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9426636 
Meetings & Symposia 
Investigation of particle-mediated gas-phase transport of phthalates from vinyl flooring 
Wu, Y; Vejerano, E; Liu, C; Cox, SS; Xie, M; Marr, LC; Little, JC 
2015 
International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate 
2015-July 
59-62 
English 
Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), such as phthalates, are ubiquitous in the indoor environment. Airborne particles play an important role in the distribution of SVOCs. The interactions between airborne particles and SVOCs increase the total airborne SVOC concentrations and consequently human exposure. In this study, a specially-designed chamber with an optimized velocity field was used to investigate the particle-mediated mass transfer and to measure the particle/air partition coefficient (KP) of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). The time for DEHP-particle equilibrium was determined to be between 4 and 10 min. As the particles were introduced at concentrations of 50-110 μg/m3, the gas-phase DEHP concentrations decreased by 30-50%, and the total concentrations increased by a factor of 2 to 4. The observations are consistent with model predictions. The measured KP was 0.034 ± 0.006 m3/μg. This work reveals quantifiable influence of particles on overall SVOC dynamics and allows for a more comprehensive exposure assessment. © 2015 International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate. All rights reserved. 
Aerosol; DEHP; Particle; Phthalates; Aerosols; Gases; Mass transfer; Particles (particulate matter); Velocity; Airborne particle; DEHP; Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate; Exposure assessment; Indoor environment; Partition coefficient; Phthalates; Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs); Esters