A predicting method for size-dependent dermal intake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers

Abstract:

To improve the assessment of human exposure to pollutants, the exposure of atmospheric polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Harbin was investigated, and the daily dermal intake of PBDEs with various phases and particle sizes was evaluated. Using size-resolved G/P partitioning equation and dermal intake formula, a method that can predict the size-dependent daily dermal intake of particulate PBDEs in atmosphere was proposed. The daily dermal intake of atmospheric PBDEs in Harbin was 71.6 pg/d, where the dermal intake of particulate PBDEs was similar to that of gaseous PBDEs, with their intakes 32.8 and 38.8 pg/d respectively. The dermal intake of BDE-209 was dominant. Considering the effects of the total suspended particle concentrations, the dermal intake of PBDEs was higher during heating period than that during non-heating period. The dermal intake of particulate PBDEs was dominated by the coarse particles, and the mass transfer coefficient was the main factor. It was the first time that this study explored a method to predict the size-dependent dermal intake of particulate PBDEs. The method was verified by using the monitored data in Harbin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, which proves that the derived size-resolved G/P partitioning equation under steady state can be well applied to predict the size-dependent dermal intakes of particulate PBDEs.