Trends in flame retardant levels in upholstered furniture and children's consumer products after regulatory action in California.

In 2013, California revised its upholstered furniture flammability standard TB 117-2013 to improve fire safety without the need for flame retardant (FR) chemicals. Subsequent legislation (SB 1019) required disclosure of FR content. In 2020 California expanded restriction on FR chemicals to include juvenile products and upholstered furniture (AB 2998).

Exploring the integrity of targeted PFASs in extracted wastewater samples during transport and storage stages.

Little information exists on the effects of shipping and handling on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in environmental samples. Thus, we evaluated the integrity of dried wastewater extracts and the sensitivity of our high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) instrument to perform such analyses by monitoring 13 representative PFASs in samples extracted, evaporated, and stored at room temperature up to one month. Relative to zero-day recoveries of six detected PFASs ranged between 94 and 124% (RSD <38%) for influents, between 88 and 126% (RSD <18%) for effluents after 28 days.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Dust Collected from Residential Homes and Fire Stations in North America.

Over the past few years, human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has garnered increased attention. Research has focused on PFAS exposure via drinking water and diet, and fewer studies have focused on exposure in the indoor environment. To support more research on the latter exposure pathway, we conducted a study to evaluate PFAS in indoor dust.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether and Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Canadian Fire Station Dust.

Fire fighters are at a high risk for exposure to toxic chemicals during and subsequent to fire suppression activities. In the Canadian Fire Station Dust Study (CFSDS) we measured 19 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and six organophosphate flame retardant (OPFR) chemicals in dust collected in 2017-18 by vacuuming the living quarters of 24 Canadian fire stations from four provinces. The predominant flame retardant (FR) was BDE-209, with a median concentration of 7060 ng/g, which was a magnitude higher than medians of the major congeners of the pentaBDE formulation measured at 620 ng/g (Σ BDE-47, 99, 100, 153 and 154).

Serum Levels of Commonly Detected Persistent Organic Pollutants and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) and Mammographic Density in Postmenopausal Women.

There are little epidemiological data on the impact of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine disruptors on mammographic density (MD), a strong predictor of breast cancer. We assessed MD in 116 non-Hispanic white post-menopausal women for whom serum concentrations of 23 commonly detected chemicals including 3 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 8 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and 12 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) had been measured. Linear regression analyses adjusting for potential confounders were used to examine the associations between the levels of the chemical compounds, modeled as continuous and dichotomized (above/below median) variables, and square-root-transformed MD.