Airborne polybrominated diphenyl ethers in a computer classroom of college in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

This study characterized the airborne exposure of students to thirty polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners inside and outside a computer classroom in a southern Taiwan college. Arithmetic mean values of total indoor and outdoor polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations were 125.0 pg/m3 [89.8 to 203.9 pg/m3] and 110.3 pg/m3 [83.5 to 157.0 pg/m3], respectively. Total indoor polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations were one order of magnitude lower than those detected in homes in Birmingham, United Kingdom and in Ottawa, Canada but were several times higher than those measured in the ambient air in Ottawa, Canada and from the Bohai Sea to the Arctic. The five highest indoor concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners were decabromodiphenyl ether [23.0 pg/m3], 4,4'-dibromodiphenyl ether [15.9 pg/m3], 2,2',3,4,4',5,5',6-octabromodiphenyl ether [10.6 pg/m3], 2,4-dibromodiphenyl ether [10.3 pg/m3] and 2,2',3,4,4',5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether [10.0 pg/m3]. Although indoor and outdoor total polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations did not significantly differ, the indoor concentrations of 2,4-dibromodiphenyl ether, 2,2',4-tribromodiphenyl ether, 2,4,4'-tribromodiphenyl ether, 2,2',4,5'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether and 2,3',4',6-tetrabromodiphenyl ether were significantly higher than their outdoor concentrations. This study suggests the following measures: 1] to increase the air exchange rate and open classroom doors and windows for several minutes before classes to reduce indoor PBDE concentrations; 2] to reduce polybrominated diphenyl ether emissions from new devices, it's better to use computer-related products that meet the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive adopted by the European Union