Spotlighting NIST Standard Reference Materials - New Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2585 Organic Contaminants in House Dust to Support Exposure Assessment Measurements

Published

June 1, 2007

Author(s)

Michele M. Schantz, Jennifer M. Lynch, John R. Kucklick, Dianne L. Poster, H M. Stapleton, S S. Vander Pol, Stephen A. Wise

Abstract

House dust originates from both internal and external sources and has been identified as one of the primary sources of lead exposure for children (http://www.epa.gov/lead). House dust is also a repository for pesticides, flame retardants, and other chemicals used indoors and tracked in the house from outdoors. Organic contaminants in house dust originate from external and internal sources and adsorb or partition to indoor particulate matter that later settles as dust. Pesticides become associated with house dust primarily through interior use of pest control formulations, intrusion of vapors from foundation and crawl space treatments, and track-in of lawn and garden chemicals. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derive from indoor sources such as combustion, cooking, and smoking, as well as track-in of contaminated yard soil or residues from garage floors. Flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are commonly applied to many products found within homes (e.g., TVs, computers, furniture, and carpets). Once indoors where they are protected from environmental degradation, pollutants associated with dust persist for long periods, particularly if the dust is embedded in carpets. Thus, indoor dust is collected and analyzed in some studies as an indicator of human exposure in the interior environment.

Citation

American Laboratory

Volume

39

Issue

15

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

dust, exposure, PAHs, PBDEs, PCBs, pesticides, SRMs

Citation

Schantz, M. , Lynch, J. , Kucklick, J. , Poster, D. , Stapleton, H. , Vander, S. and Wise, S. (2007), Spotlighting NIST Standard Reference Materials - New Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2585 Organic Contaminants in House Dust to Support Exposure Assessment Measurements, American Laboratory (Accessed April 23, 2024)