Congener-Specific Emissions from Floors and Walls Characterize Indoor Airborne Polychlorinated Biphenyls.

To reconcile the federal regulation of material polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations with recently implemented state regulations of airborne PCBs, there is a need to characterize the relationship between PCB emissions from surfaces and air concentrations. We hypothesized that the magnitude and congener distribution of emissions from floors and walls fully account for the airborne PCBs measured in rooms constructed during the height of PCB production and sales. We measured emissions of PCB congeners from various wall and floor materials using polyurethane foam passive emission samplers before and after hexane wiping.

Room-to-Room Variability of Airborne Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Schools and the Application of Air Sampling for Targeted Source Evaluation.

Airborne polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations are higher indoors than outdoors due to their historical use in building materials and their presence in modern paints and surface treatments. For some populations, including school children, PCB levels indoors result in inhalation exposures that may be greater than or equivalent to exposure through diet. In a school, PCB exposure may come from multiple sources.