Brominated flame retardants in atmospheric fine particles in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China: Spatial and temporal distribution and human exposure assessment.

Atmospheric fine particle (PM) samples were collected over a whole year (April 2016 - March 2017) across five sampling locations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, to investigate the occurrence of novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The concentrations of ∑NBFRs were in the range of 0.63-104 pg/m (15.6 ± 16.8 pg/m) in atmospheric PM, while the levels of ∑PBDEs (excluding BDE-209) ranged from 0.05 to 19.1 pg/m (2.9 ± 3.8 pg/m) and BDE-209 concentrations ranged from 0.88 to 138 pg/m (22 ± 28 pg/m). Relatively higher levels of NBFRs and PBDEs were found at urban sampling sites in Beijing City and Shijiazhuang City. Decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) and BDE-209 were the dominant compounds with the relative abundances of 72% in ∑NBFRs and 90% in ∑PBDEs, respectively. Generally, the levels of most target BFRs in summer were lower than those in other seasons. However, there were no notable seasonal differences in levels of DBDPE and BDE-209 in atmospheric PM samples across the BTH region. Significant and positive correlations were found between the concentrations of BFRs and PM. Daily human exposure via inhalation revealed that children have a higher probability of suffering from the adverse effects of BFRs than that of adults. In addition, residents living near sampling locations across the BTH region may suffer high exposure risks to BDE-209 and NBFRs.