In- and outdoor sources of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their human inhalation exposure in Guangzhou, China

The indoor (home and workplace) and outdoor concentrations of the sum of 10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), designated Σ10PBDEs (-28, -47, -66, -100, -99, -85, -154, -153, -138, -183), and BDE-209 were measured using high-volume air samplers in Guangzhou from October 2004 to April 2005. The Σ10PBDEs and BDE-209 concentration ranges were 125.1–2877 and 39–11,468 pg m−3, respectively for home air, 181.3–8315 and 80.1–13,732 pg m−3 for office air, 322.1–2437 and 73.1–8194 pg m−3 for air in other workplaces, and 203.2–2426 and 1082–49,937 pg m−3 for outdoor air. The levels of PBDEs in domestic and workplace environments are similar to those reported in others studies. However, the open-air values reported here are significantly higher than those found elsewhere. The dominant congeners observed in indoor air samples were those associated with penta-BDE and deca-BDE commercial mixtures. Our study also indicates that the primary indoor emission sources for PBDEs in Guangzhou are originated from the relatively old electronic/electrical appliances, especially computers, but not the PUF-containing furniture. The median daily human exposures to Σ10PBDEs and BDE-209 via inhalation in Guangzhou are 12.4 and 15.1 ng day−1 person−1, respectively. The human inhalation exposure to Σ10PBDEs is higher than reported in two other studies (6.9 and 2.0 ng day−1 person−1) presumably due to the larger number of compounds considered in this study as well as the higher outdoor concentrations of PBDEs.