Many flame retardants (FRs) are known persistent organic pollutants (POP) and have been associated with a number of adverse human health effects. In order to minimize environmental contamination and human exposure to these chemicals it is necessary to identify their sources and potential mechanisms of transfer into the environment. Access to correlated morphological, molecular, spatial distribution and concentration information for both FR and source materials simultaneously at the individual particle level can offer insights into the origins of FRs and the likely pathways for their transfer into the environment and exposures in humans. Here we present the correlated use of Raman micro-spectroscopy (RMS) and Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) (referred to as RMS/SEM) for characterizing FR materials in environmental samples. The RMS/SEM approach offers molecular identification, morphological characterization and estimation of within- and between-particle spatial heterogeneity with micrometer spatial resolution and is suitable for characterizing complex, heterogeneous samples such as dust. We demonstrate the application of RMS/SEM methodology for characterizing FRs in dust and consumer materials and the development of Raman spectral library for the non-invasive molecular identification of FRs in samples.

Correlated analysis of flame retardants using Raman micro-spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy: A tool for studying composition, origin, and spatial heterogeneity of flame retardants in dust

248th National Meeting (2014)

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