Flame retardants (FRs), in particular, polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), have been used for several decades in many products. However, due to their potential toxicity, bioaccumulation, and persistence in the environment, several PBDE formulations have been banned, which leads to the increased use of non-BDE halogenated alternatives such as dechlorane plus (DP), pentabromobenzyl acrylate (PBBA), 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTBB), and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE). These FRs have been found in different environmental samples such as air, soil, sediment, sewage sludge, and indoor dust. House dust is a sink and repository for semi-volatile organic compounds and particle-bound organic matter. The aim of the present study was to develop a rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of 18 non-BDE hagenated FRs in house dust. The method detection limits (MDLs) were as low as 0.03 ng/g and the recoveries ranged from 55% to 112%. Inter-day variations were lower than 10% for all target analytes except PBBA (19%) and BTBPE (17%). Preliminary results from 17 samples show that several FRs were detected with high frequencies. For the most detected FRs, the median concentrations were 7.3 ng/g for hexabromobenzene (HBB), 197 ng/g for EHTBB, 5.2 ng/g for BTBPE, 5.4 ng/g for syn-DP, 2.6 ng/g for anti-DP, 0.7 ng/g for alpha-1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)cyclohexane (TBECH), and 0.9 for beta-TBECH. Other target FRs were detected at low concentration and frequency. More samples will be analyzed to generate baseline concentrations of these FRs in dust samples collected under the Canadian House Dust Study.

Simultaneous determination of 18 non-BDE halogenated flame retardants in indoor house dust using solid phase extraction and gas chromatography electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry

248th National Meeting (2014)

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