RESUMO
Indoor dust was an important and even a major route of human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). However, the vacuum dust concentrations were less correlated with indoor residents' serum concentrations of PBDEs, thus inadequat for either estimation of human exposure dose or research of deposition flux and its seasonal variations. Passive sampling of indoo dustfall could offset these shortages. A total of 49 indoor sampling sites including homes, offices, computer rooms and furniture factor were selected in Xiamen, China to collect the four season dustfall samples with glass plates (walled by clean aluminum foil). Deposition flux, concentrations, congener profiles, seasonal variations, and human exposure to PBDEs in the dustfall were studied The geometric means of the yearly round deposition flux of ∑ PBDEs (sum of 16 BDE congeners including BDE-209) in homes offices, computer rooms and furniture factory were 6.1, 3.0, 1.1 and 179.8 ng · (m² · d)⻹, respectively. The geometric mea deposition flux of ∑ PBDEs in homes was 2 times of that in offices, but the concentration of ∑ PBDEs in the dustfall from home (445.5 ng · g⻹) was only slightly higher than that of offices (384.0 ng · g⻹). The ∑ PBDEs deposition flux in homes, offices and computer rooms in Xiamen were at lower level compared with other cities around the world. The PBDEs deposition flux in furnitur factory was much higher than that in the ordinary indoor environment. Autumn was the season with highest deposition flux of ∑ PBDEs. Geometric means of BDE- 209's proportion of the ∑ PBDEs in dustfall in all seasons in the four types of indoo environment were above 80% . The deposition flux of PBDEs was correlated to the dustfall deposition flux in homes, offices and computer rooms, but not that in furniture factory. ∑15 PBDEs in homes and offices were significantly correlated with the age of computers, but not quantities of electrical and electronic products, furniture and interior decoration, etc. Indoor dust was a key route for human exposure to ∑ PBDEs, especially for higher brominated BDEs.
