Size distribution and inhalation exposure of airborne particle-bound polybrominated diphenyl ethers, new brominated flame retardants, organophosphate esters, and chlorinated paraffins at urban open consumption place.

Abstract

At present, the global urban population has exceeded half of the total population and is still on the rise. Urban air pollution has attracted much attention, but most of the research focuses on typical pollution sources and indoor environment. This study reports the occurrence characteristics of particle-bound polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), new brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) at urban open consumption place. Among those pollutants detected in this study, the level of CPs was generally higher than other urban outdoor environments, and even higher than few indoor environments, such as house in Guangzhou (China) and Stockholm (Sweden). The size distributions of PBDEs and NBFRs exhibited bimodal peaks and that of SCCPs presented a unimodal peak, whereas no obvious trend was observed for OPEs or MCCPs. Additionally, the results of calculating the deposition fluxes of target pollutants in various regions based on the size distribution confirmed that total deposition was dominated by deposition in the head airways and alveolar region, and inhalation exposure in the current environment poses no significant health risk. Both discrepancy of the spatial distribution and principal component analysis indicated that sources of these organic pollutants may be related to the type of stores. Various construction and decoration materials might have been responsible for the high concentrations of OPEs and CPs, and thus, these materials require further analysis.