People spend significant time indoors in homes, schools, offices, and it is likely that they experience prolonged exposures to chemical compounds in indoor environments. Among several potential routes, unintentional ingestion of house dust is a pathway of exposure of humans, especially children to synthetic chemicals. In this study, untargeted screening of brominated compounds in indoor environments was conducted by use of the data-independent precursor isolation and characteristic fragment (DIPIC-Frag) mass spectrometry approach. Thirty-eight samples of dust, collected from four different indoor environments (i.e., childcare facilities, houses, offices, and salons) from 8 states across the USA, were analyzed. More than 300 brominated compounds were identified in these samples. While azo dyes were the most abundant brominated compounds, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) were also detected. In addition, brominated azo dyes were also detected with high abundances in several samples of textiles, which suggested textiles were a potential source of these compounds in house dust. Several brominated compounds identified in this study, by use of accurate mass and mass fragments, represent novel molecular formulas (e.g., C12H7NBr3Cl) which were not reported previously in environmental samples. Although chemical or toxicological information for these novel compounds are currently not available, their similar elemental compositions to BFRs, specifically polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), suggest these novel compounds could have adverse effects on humans, and should be studied further.

Untargeted screening and apportionment of brominated compounds in house dust

254th National Meeting (2017)

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