Brominated flame retardants in a computer technical service: Indoor air gas phase, submicron (PM1) and coarse (PM10) particles, associated inhalation exposure, and settled dust

Air monitoring of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Bursa Türkiye: Levels, temporal trends and risk assessment

Monitoring concentration levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is required to evaluate the effectiveness of international regulations to minimize the emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the environment. In this manner, we evaluated the spatial and temporal variations of 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) using polyurethane foam passive air samplers at ten stations in Bursa in 2017 and 2018. The highest concentration value for Σ22OCPs was detected in Ağaköy (775 pg/m3) and Demirtaş (678 pg/m3) sampling sites, while the lowest value was observed in Uludağ University Campus (UUC, 284 pg/m3) site. HCB, γ-HCH, Endo I, and Mirex were the most frequently detected OCPs, which shows their persistence. Diagnostic ratios of β-/(α + γ)-HCH have pointed to historical and possible illegal OCP usage in the study area. The seasonality of air concentrations (with spring and summer concentrations higher than winter and autumn concentrations) was well exhibited by α-HCH, β-HCH, ɣ-HCH, HCB, Endo I, and Mirex but not aldrin, dieldrin, and α-chlordane (CC). Levels of OCPs detected in ambient air in the current study were relatively similar to or lower than those reported in previous studies conducted in Türkiye. Back trajectory analysis was applied to identify the possible sources of OCPs detected in the sampling regions. The Clausius-Clapeyron approach was used to investigate the temperature dependence of OCP gas-phase atmospheric concentrations. The data showed that long-range atmospheric transport affects ambient air OCP concentrations in the study area.

Quantifying the dynamic characteristics of indoor air pollution using real-time sensors: Current status and future implication

People generally spend most of their time indoors, making indoor air quality be of great significance to human health. Large spatiotemporal heterogeneity of indoor air pollution can be hardly captured by conventional filter-based monitoring but real-time monitoring. Real-time monitoring is conducive to change air assessment mode from static and sparse analysis to dynamic and massive analysis, and has made remarkable strides in indoor air evaluation. In this review, the state of art, strengths, challenges, and further development of real-time sensors used in indoor air evaluation are focused on. Researches using real-time sensors for indoor air evaluation have increased rapidly since 2018, and are mainly conducted in China and the USA, with the most frequently investigated air pollutants of PM_2.5. In addition to high spatiotemporal resolution, real-time sensors for indoor air evaluation have prominent advantages in 3-dimensional monitoring, pollution peak and source identification, and short-term health effect evaluation. Huge amounts of data from real-time sensors also facilitate the modeling and prediction of indoor air pollution. However, challenges still remain in extensive deployment of real-time sensors indoors, including the selection, performance, stability, as well as calibration of sensors. In future, sensors with high performance, long-term stability, low price, and low energy consumption are welcomed. Furthermore, more target air pollutants are also expected to be detected simultaneously by real-time sensors in indoor air monitoring.

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Response in Populations of the Czech Republic Exposed to Various Levels of Environmental Pollutants

We aimed to identify the variables that modify levels of oxidatively damaged DNA and lipid peroxidation in subjects living in diverse localities of the Czech Republic (a rural area, a metropolitan locality, and an industrial region). The sampling of a total of 126 policemen was conducted twice in two sampling seasons. Personal characteristics, concentrations of particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm and benzo[a]pyrene in the ambient air, activities of antioxidant mechanisms (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and antioxidant capacity), levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6), concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in blood plasma, and urinary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites were investigated as parameters potentially affecting the markers of DNA oxidation (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine) and lipid peroxidation (15-F2t-isoprostane). The levels of oxidative stress markers mostly differed between the localities in the individual sampling seasons. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed IL-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, as a factor with the most pronounced effects on oxidative stress parameters. The role of other variables, including environmental pollutants, was minor. In conclusion, our study showed that oxidative damage to macromolecules was affected by processes related to inflammation; however, we did not identify a specific environmental factor responsible for the pro-inflammatory response in the organism.

First insight into polybrominated diphenyl ethers in car dust in Turkey: concentrations and human exposure implications

The presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the car is due to their use as a flame retardant additive in various car components such as dashboard, plastic parts, seat and headliner cushion foams, insulated cables, and electronic circuits. Ingestion of dust inadvertently or dermal contact to dust are significant pathways of human exposure to pollutants including PBDEs. There are no studies documenting presence of car dust associated flame retardants in Turkey. In the current study, a total of 13 PBDEs congeners were investigated in 62 car dust samples collected from Bursa province of Turkey using glass-fiber filters and a vacuum cleaner. Results of the study showed that congener concentrations were within the range of <MDL-40198 ng/g and PBDE-209, major component of commercial deca-BDE, showed the highest concentration among the targeted congeners. Assessment of exposure to analyzed PBDEs via inadvertent dust ingestion and skin contact showed toddlers are exposed to these chemicals approx. 10 times higher compared to adults. Hazard quotient (HQ) values calculated based on total exposure (ingestion + dermal contact) and were < 1 for both adults and toddler indicated that exposure to car dust-associated PBDEs through ingestion and skin contact does not pose any health risks for human in Bursa.

Uptake of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) into peanut and corn during the whole life cycle grown in an agricultural field

Here, we elucidated the uptake and translocation of numerous halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) into corn and peanut throughout their life cycle cultivated in an agricultural field of an electronic waste recycling area, where plants were simultaneously exposed to contaminants in soil and ambient air. The geometric mean concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were 22.3 and 11.9 ng/g in peanut and 16.6 and 13.6 ng/g in corn, respectively. Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE, 6.07 ng/g) and dechlorane plus (DPs, 6.22 ng/g) also showed significant concentrations in peanuts. The plant uptake was initiated from root absorption at the emergence stage but it was subsequently surpassed by leaves absorption from the air since the late seedling stage or early reproductive stage. There was a rapid uptake of lower halogenated HOCs at the early vegetative stages in both species. However, robust uptake of highly halogenated compounds at the reproductive stages suggests a delayed accumulation of them by the plants. PBDE and PCB congener profiles suggest more noticeable tendency for inter-compartment translocation in peanut than in corn during the plant development. The DP and HBCD isomeric compositions in peanut (enriched with syn-DP and γ-HBCD) were different from those in the rhizosphere soils and air, suggesting a more stereoisomer-selective uptake and/or biotransformation in this species compared to corn. The bioaccumulation factors for root-soil and stem-root of these HOCs in most cases were <1. The tissue-distributions demonstrated that leaves serve as a significant reservoir of absorbed HOCs under the field conditions, whereas the low concentrations in peanut and corn kernels indicated translocation of most HOCs into this compartment was significantly hindered (especially for highly halogenated compounds).

Real-Time Measurement of Indoor PM Concentrations on Daily Change of Endocrine Disruptors in Urine Samples of New Mothers

The recent innovation of IoT-based sensor technologies facilitates real-time monitoring of indoor air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), but its dynamic impacts on the level of endocrine disruptors in human body remain understudied. This feasibility study analyzed if the constant measurements of indoor PM concentrations collected at every five minutes are meaningfully associated with the levels of 15 types of endocrine disruptors in urine samples collected three times a day from nine new breastfeeding mothers in Seoul, Korea. Some promising results are observed in terms of detecting cumulative effects of PM10 and PM2.5 on some phthalate metabolites (MnBP, MiBP, MiNP, MCOP, MEOHP and MEHHP), BPA and TCS, at least for some participants. The findings from this study are expected to provide valuable directions for guiding future studies that discover potential associations between indoor PM concentrations and exposure to endocrine disruptors, which is still far from the consensus in the literature. Such efforts should offer empirical and scientific evidences for designing technology-based early warning/alarm services and evidence-based interventions to mitigate the level of exposure to PM and endocrine disruptors in their living environments.

Occurrence of Halogenated Pollutants in Domestic and Occupational Indoor Dust

The occurrence of halogenated organic pollutants in indoor dust can be high due to the presence of textile, electronic devices, furniture, and building materials treated with these chemicals. In this explorative study, we focused on emerging organic pollutants, such as novel brominated flame retardants (nBFRs) and some perfluoroalkyl substances, together with legacy polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) in settled dust collected in houses and workplaces such as one office and two electrotechnical and mechanical workshops. The total contribution of the investigated pollutants was lower in house and in office dusts except for few nBFRs (such as bis (2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromo-phthalate at a concentration of 464.5 ng/g in a house and hexachlorocyclopentadienyldibromocyclooctane at 40.4 ng/g in the office), whereas in electrotechnical and mechanical workshops a high incidence of PCBs, BDEs, and nBFRs occurred (for example, BDE 209 at a concentration of 2368.0 ng/g and tetrabromobisphenol A at 32,320.1 ng/g in electrotechnical and mechanical workshops). Estimated daily intakes were also calculated, showing that domestic and occupational environments can lead to a similar contribution in terms of human exposure. The higher exposure contribution was associated to nBFRs, whose EDIs were in the range of 3968.2–555,694.2 pg/kg bw/day. To provide a complete view about the indoor contamination, in this investigation, we also included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their oxygenated and nitrated derivatives. Definitely, dust collection represents a simple, fast, and cost-effective sampling and dust contamination level can be a useful indicator of environment healthiness. Besides, the presented method can be a smart tool to provide a time and money saving technique to characterize 99 pollutants thanks to a single sample treatment.