Partial dust removal in vehicles does not mitigate human exposure to organophosphate esters.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been detected within car interior dust, suggesting that the indoor microenvironment of vehicles may represent a potential route of human exposure to OPEs. We recently showed that people with longer commutes are exposed to higher concentrations of tris(1,3-dichloro-2-isopropyl)phosphate (TDCIPP) - a widely used OPE - and other studies have suggested that dust removal may lead to lower exposure to chemicals. Therefore, the overall objective of this study was to determine if a decrease in interior car dust results in mitigation of personal OPE exposure. Participants (N = 49) were asked to wear silicone wristbands, and a subset of them wiped interior parts at the front of their vehicles prior to one study week (N = 25) or both study weeks (N = 11). There were no significant differences in total OPE concentrations (77.79-13,660 ng/g) nor individual OPE concentrations (0.04-4852.81 ng/g) across the different wiping groups nor in relation to participant residence ZIP codes and AC/Heater usage. These findings suggest that higher exposure to TDCIPP for participants with longer commutes may be independent of dust located on interior parts at the front of the vehicle. Therefore, our study demonstrates that there is a need for research on the potential contribution of other sources of TDCIPP exposure within car interiors.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Reddam, A; Herkert, N; Stapleton, HM; Volz, DC

Published Date

  • April 2022

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 205 /

Start / End Page

  • 112525 -

PubMed ID

  • 34896084

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC8760154

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1096-0953

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0013-9351

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112525

Language

  • eng