Time series of hexabromocyclododecane transfers from flame-retarded curtains to attached dust

Abstract

While the production and new use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) mostly ceased after being listed as a persistent organic pollutant under the Stockholm Convention in 2013, its emission from treated products in use to indoor environments still deserves attention. To examine the transfer of HBCD diastereomers to dust on the surface of flame-retarded curtains and to better characterize the potential of treated fabrics to be sources of HBCD in dust, we carried out a series of 196-day experiments using two types of curtains and attached dusts. Concurrently, the physicochemical properties (vapor pressure, water solubility, and octanol-water partition coefficient) of the HBCD diastereomers were measured. HBCD diastereomers migrated from curtains to dust with half-saturation times of about 20-50 days. By day 196, mean HBCD concentrations in dust had reached 13-290 μg/g, depending on the types of curtains and dusts. The composition of HBCD, dominated by γ-HBCD in the curtains, was dominated by α-HBCD in the post-experiment dusts, probably because of the higher vapor pressure of α-HBCD compared to γ-HBCD. The initial HBCD contents of the two curtains were comparable, but the concentrations and profiles of HBCD diastereomers in the post-experiment dusts differed markedly, probably because differences between the texture and/or surface finishing of the treated fabrics affected HBCD transfer to the attached dust.

Keywords: Brominated flame retardants; HBCD; House dust; Source-to-dust transfer.