Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA.
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA; Department of Building Environment and Energy Application Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China.
Environ Int. 2018 Dec;121(Pt 1):916-930. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.09.013. Epub 2018 Oct 20.
Phthalates and organophosphates are ubiquitous indoor semi-volatile organic contaminants (SVOCs) that have been widely used as plasticizers and flame retardants in consumer products. Although many studies have assessed their levels in house dust, only a few used dust samples captured by filters of building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. HVAC filters collect particles from large volumes of air over a long period of time (potentially known) and thus provide a spatially and temporally integrated concentration. This study measured concentrations of phthalates and organophosphates in HVAC filter dust and settled floor dust collected from low-income homes in Texas, United States, in both the summer and winter seasons. The most frequently detected compounds were benzyl butyl phthalate (BBzP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), and tris (1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP). The median level of TCIPP in settled dust was 3- to 180-times higher than levels reported in other studies of residential homes. Significantly higher concentrations were observed in HVAC filter dust as compared to settled dust for most of the frequently detected compounds in both seasons, except for several phthalates in the winter. SVOC concentrations in settled dust in winter were generally higher than in summer, while different seasonality patterns were found for HVAC filter dust. Settled dust samples from homes with vinyl flooring contained significantly higher levels of BBzP and DEHP as compared to homes with other types of floor material. The concentration of DEHP and TDCIPP in settled dust also significantly associated with the presence of carpet in homes. Cleaning activities to remove dust from furniture actually increased the levels of certain compounds in HVAC filter dust, while frequent vacuuming of carpet helped to decrease the concentrations of some compounds in settled dust. Additionally, the size and age of a given house also correlated with the levels of some pollutants in dust. A statistically significant association between DEHP concentration in HVAC filter dust in summer and the severity of asthma in children was observed. These results suggest that HVAC filter dust represents a useful sampling medium to monitor indoor SVOC concentrations with high sensitivity; in contrast, when using settled dust, in addition to consideration of seasonal influences, it is critical to know the sampling location because the type and level of SVOCs may be related to local materials used there.
酞酸酯和有机磷酸酯是室内普遍存在的半挥发性有机污染物（SVOCs），它们被广泛用作消费品中的增塑剂和阻燃剂。尽管许多研究都评估了它们在房屋灰尘中的含量，但只有少数研究使用了建筑物供暖、通风和空调（HVAC）系统中的过滤器采集的灰尘样本。HVAC 过滤器可在较长时间内从大量空气中收集颗粒（可能已知），因此提供了空间和时间上的综合浓度。本研究测量了美国德克萨斯州低收入家庭夏季和冬季从 HVAC 过滤器灰尘和沉降地板灰尘中采集的酞酸酯和有机磷酸酯的浓度。检测到的最常见化合物是邻苯二甲酸丁基苄基酯（BBzP）、邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯（DEHP）、邻苯二甲酸二正辛酯（DnOP）、磷酸三（1-氯-2-丙基）酯（TCIPP）、磷酸三苯酯（TPHP）和磷酸三（1,3-二氯异丙基）酯（TDCIPP）。在沉降灰尘中，TCIPP 的中位数水平比其他住宅研究报告的水平高 3 至 180 倍。与大多数季节经常检测到的化合物相比，在两个季节中，HVAC 过滤器灰尘中的浓度均明显高于沉降灰尘，而冬季的几种邻苯二甲酸酯除外。冬季沉降灰尘中的 SVOC 浓度通常高于夏季，而 HVAC 过滤器灰尘则呈现出不同的季节性模式。与其他类型地板材料相比，乙烯基地板房屋的沉降灰尘样本中 BBzP 和 DEHP 的含量明显更高。DEHP 和 TDCIPP 在沉降灰尘中的浓度也与房屋中地毯的存在显著相关。从家具上清除灰尘的清洁活动实际上增加了 HVAC 过滤器灰尘中某些化合物的水平，而频繁吸尘有助于降低沉降灰尘中某些化合物的浓度。此外，房屋的大小和年龄也与灰尘中某些污染物的水平相关。在夏季，HVAC 过滤器灰尘中 DEHP 浓度与儿童哮喘严重程度之间存在显著的统计学关联。这些结果表明，HVAC 过滤器灰尘是一种有用的采样介质，可以高度敏感地监测室内 SVOC 浓度；相比之下，当使用沉降灰尘时，除了考虑季节性影响外，还必须知道采样位置，因为 SVOC 的类型和水平可能与当地使用的材料有关。
