The Ins and Outs of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Great Lakes: The Role of Atmospheric Deposition.

As part of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network, precipitation ( = 207) and air ( = 60) from five sites and water samples ( = 87) from all five Great Lakes were collected in 2021-2023 and analyzed for 41 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These measurements were combined with other available data to estimate the mass budget for four representative compounds, PFBA, PFBS, PFOS, and PFOA for the basin. The median ΣPFAS concentrations in precipitation across the five sites ranged between 2.

Socio-Economic Factors Impact US Dietary Exposure to Halogenated Flame Retardants.

Although diet is an important route of exposure for brominated flame retardants (BFRs), little is known of their presence in US food. Therefore, we purchased meat, fish, and dairy product samples ( = 72) in Bloomington, IN, from 3 stores representing national retail chains at different price levels. Composite samples ( = 42) were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), novel BFRs (NBFRs), and dechlorane plus (DP).

The use of silicone wristbands to evaluate personal exposure to semi-volatile organic chemicals (SVOCs) in France and Italy.

In this exploratory study, we measured for the first-time human exposure to about 90 semi-volatile organic chemicals (SVOCs) in France and Italy using silicone wristbands. Participants in France (n = 40) and in Italy (n = 31) wore a silicone wristband for five days during 2018 and 2019. Samples were analyzed for 39 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 10 novel brominated flame retardants (nBFRs), 25 organophosphate esters (OPEs), and 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in paired dust and carpets from childcare centers.

Carpets can be a significant source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the indoor environment and may be an especially important source of exposure for children and toddlers. Most previous studies focused on measuring indoor dust only. In this study, we measured PFAS concentrations in paired carpet and dust samples from 18 California childcare centers in 2018 to investigate carpet as a contributor to PFASs in dust.

Association between Thyroid Function and Exposures to Brominated and Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Rural Central Appalachia.

Exposure to flame retardants (FRs) is associated with adverse effects on human health. Focusing on three FR groups, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organophosphate FRs (OPFRs), and novel brominated FRs (nBFRs), we determined the levels of these chemicals in indoor air in homes in rural Central Appalachia using passive air samplers and personal exposures in the residents of these homes using silicone wristbands. We also investigated the relationships between the FR levels in wristbands and the thyroid function.

Personal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Appalachian mining communities.

Coal mining activities may increase residential exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but personal PAH exposures have not been studied in mining areas. We used silicone wristbands as passive personal samplers to estimate PAH exposures in coal mining communities in Central Appalachia in the United States. Adults (N = 101) wore wristbands for one week; 51 resided in communities within approximately three miles of surface mining sites, and 50 resided 10 or more miles from mining sites.

Silicone wristbands integrate dermal and inhalation exposures to semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs).

Silicone wristbands are being increasingly used to assess human exposure to semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). However, it is unclear what exposure pathways wristbands integrate. To test the hypothesis that wristbands integrate inhalation and dermal exposures, we measured 38 chemicals from four compound groups (PAHs, PBDEs, nBFRs, and OPEs) in silicone wristbands and brooches, active air samples (Occupational Safety and Health Administration Versatile Sampler or OVS cartridge), and hand wipes from 10 adults during a 72-hour period.

Exposure of Canadian electronic waste dismantlers to flame retardants.

Exposure of e-waste workers to eight halogenated and five organophosphate ester flame retardant chemicals (FRs) was studied at a Canadian e-waste dismantling facility. FR concentrations were measured in air and dust samples collected at a central location and at four work benches over five-24 hour periods spanning two weeks. The highest concentrations in air from workbenches were of BDE-209 (median 156 ng m), followed by Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP, median 59 ng m).

Atmospheric Occurrence of Legacy Pesticides, Current Use Pesticides, and Flame Retardants in and around Protected Areas in Costa Rica and Uganda.

Protected areas have developed alongside intensive changes in land use and human settlements in the neighboring landscape. Here, we investigated the occurrence of 21 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 14 current use pesticides (CUPs), 47 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), and 19 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in air around Las Cruces (LC) and La Selva (LS) Biological Stations, Costa Rica, and Kibale National Park (KNP), Uganda using passive air samplers (PAS) with polyurethane foam (PUF) discs (PAS-PUF). Significantly higher concentrations of CUPs were observed around LS, while LC had a higher concentration of OCPs.

Flame retardants and plasticizers in a Canadian waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) dismantling facility.

Here we report on the concentrations of 79 flame retardants (FRs) and plasticizers, including 34 polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE congeners, 17 "novel" brominated FRs (NBFRs), 15 dechloranes, and 13 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in air (n = 9) and dust (n = 24) samples from an active waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) dismantling facility in Ontario, Canada, collected in February-March 2017. This is the first study of its kind in North America. The facility processes a range of WEEE including monitors, computers, printers, phones, and toys.

Analysis of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, organophosphate esters, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in silicone wristbands used as personal passive samplers.

For the first time, we present an analytical method to simultaneously extract, fractionate, and quantify four groups of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in silicone wristbands, including 35 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 10 novel flame retardants (NFRs), 19 organophosphate esters (OPEs), and 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Wristbands were extracted using ultrasonication, and cleaned and fractionated on two multi-layer columns: one consisting of neutral alumina, neutral silica and Florisil, and the other consisting of neutral alumina, neutral silica, and acidic silica. Method accuracy and precision were validated using spiked wristband samples (n = 8) and procedural blanks (n = 7).

Tri(2,4-di- t-butylphenyl) Phosphate: A Previously Unrecognized, Abundant, Ubiquitous Pollutant in the Built and Natural Environment.

Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we identified tri(2,4-di- t-butylphenyl) phosphate (TDTBPP) in e-waste dust. This is a previously unsuspected pollutant that had not been reported before in the environment. To assess its abundance in the environment, we measured its concentration in e-waste dust, house dust, sediment from the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, Indiana Harbor water filters, and filters from high-volume air samplers deployed in Chicago, IL.

PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in indoor environments - A comparison of indoor contamination in Canada and Czech Republic.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are restricted compounds that are ubiquitously detected in the environment, including indoor matrices such as air and residential dust. We report concentrations of PCBs and selected OCPs in indoor air and dust from homes in Canada (23 homes) and Czech Republic (20 homes). Indoor air concentrations of PCBs and OCPs were ∼10 times higher than that outdoors.

Accumulation of flame retardants in paired eggs and plasma of bald eagles.

In this study, we measured the concentrations of 58 flame retardants (and related compounds) in bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) egg and plasma samples from the Michigan. These analytes include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), novel flame retardants (nFRs), Dechlorane-related compounds (Decs), and organophosphate esters (OPEs). A total of 24 paired eaglet plasma and egg samples were collected from inland (IN, N = 13) and the Great Lakes (GL, N = 11) breeding areas from 2000 to 2012.

Alternative Flame Retardant, 2,4,6-Tris(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine, in an E-waste Recycling Facility and House Dust in North America.

A high molecular weight compound, 2,4,6-tris(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine (TTBP-TAZ), was detected during the analysis of brominated flame retardants in dust samples collected from an electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) recycling facility in Ontario, Canada. Gas chromatography coupled with both high-resolution and low-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) was used to determine TTBP-TAZ's chemical structure and concentrations. To date, TTBP-TAZ has only been detected in plastic casings of electrical and electronic equipment and house dust from The Netherlands.

Updated Polychlorinated Biphenyl Mass Budget for Lake Michigan.

This study revisits and updates the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that was conducted in 1994-1995. This work uses recent concentrations of PCBs in tributary and open lake water, air, and sediment to calculate an updated mass budget. Five of the 11 LMMBP tributaries were revisited in 2015.

Current-Use Flame Retardants in the Water of Lake Michigan Tributaries.

In this study, we measured the concentrations of 65 flame retardants in water samples from five Lake Michigan tributaries. These flame retardants included organophosphate esters (OPEs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and Dechlorane-related compounds. A total of 59 samples, including both the particulate and the dissolved phases, were collected from the Grand, Kalamazoo, Saint Joseph, and Lower Fox rivers and from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in 2015.

Organophosphate esters flame retardants in the indoor environment.

Concentrations of 13 organophosphate ester flame retardants (OPEs) were measured in air, dust and window wipes from 63 homes in Canada, the Czech Republic and the United States in the spring and summer of 2013 to look for abundances, differences among regions, and partitioning behavior. In general, we observed the highest concentrations for halogenated OPEs, particularly TCEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP, and also non-halogenated TPHP. Differences between regions strongly depended on the matrix.

Identification of Marbon in the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal.

Marbon is isomeric with Dechlorane Plus (DP). Both are produced by the Diels-Alder condensation of hexachlorocyclopentadiene with cyclic dienes, and both have elemental compositions of CHCl. Dechlorane Plus is commonly found in the environment throughout the world, but Marbon has, so far, only been detected at low levels in one sediment core collected near the mouth of the Niagara River in Lake Ontario.

Brominated flame retardants in the indoor environment - Comparative study of indoor contamination from three countries.

Concentrations of more than 20 brominated flame retardants (FRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and emerging FRs, were measured in air, dust and window wipes from 63 homes in Canada, the Czech Republic and the United States in the spring and summer of 2013. Among the PBDEs, the highest concentrations were generally BDE-209 in all three matrices, followed by Penta-BDEs. Among alternative FRs, EHTBB and BEHTBP were detected at the highest concentrations.

Flame retardants and legacy chemicals in Great Lakes' water.

The Great Lakes have been the focus of extensive environmental research, but recent data on the aquatic concentrations of emerging compounds, such as flame retardants, are scarce. Water samples from 18 stations on the five Great Lakes were collected in 2011 and 2012 using XAD-2 resin adsorption and analyzed for PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, PAHs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and emerging flame retardants, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPEs). Total PCB concentrations ranged from 117 ± 18 pg/L in Lake Superior to 623 ± 113 pg/L in Lake Ontario.