Pay attention to the fate of an emerging hazardous waste: PBDE-contaminated indoor dust

摘要

Substantial evidence exists that indoor dust contains poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are structurally similar to the known human toxicants PBBs, PCBs, dioxins, and furans. In addition to having similar mechanisms of toxicity in animal studies, they also bioaccumulate and persist in both humans and animals (Blum 2007). During the past decades, PBDEs have been produced in large amount and universally used in indoor environment. Though pentabromodiphenyl ether (Penta-BDE) and octab-romodiphenyl ether (Octa-BDE) commercial mixtures have been added to the POPs list of the Stockholm Convention and have been banned in some regions for their persistence and toxicity, decabromodiphenyl ether (Deca-BDE) is still produced and applied around the world, with China included, which means that it is possible that the proportion of Deca-BDE in indoor environment and in indoor dust would rise in the future. In 2001, the last year for which figures are available, global production of Deca-BDE, Octa-BDE, and Penta-BDE amounted to 56,100, 3,790, and 7,500 t (83:6:11 %), respectively (Hazrati et al. 2010). Used as fire retardants, they will migrate from indoor consumer goods and will be exposed to human beings in a longer future time.