Assessing human exposure to chlorinated paraffins in the indoor environment (HECPAR).

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are a complex mixture of thousands of individual compounds which have been used as plasticizers, flame retardants and additives to various lubricants, adhesives and metal working fluids. Certain CPs are recognised as potential carcinogens and have exhibited toxic and bioaccumulative properties, culminating in restriction of their use due to their registration as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention in 2017. As semi-volatile compounds, CPs may be released from consumer products and materials via volatilisation or leaching and tend to bind strongly to particulates, such as indoor dust. Inadvertent ingestion of contaminated dust is considered to be a major pathway of human exposure to CPs. This study aims to a) investigate the current human exposure risks posed by CPs in the indoor environments of Belgium and b) explore the transport and fate of such chemicals. Sensitive, reliable and robust methods for the quantitation of CPs will first be developed and validated using state-of-the-art techniques based on advanced mass spectrometry. The occurrence and distribution of CPs will then be assessed in dust from a range of indoor microenvironments to produce an estimate of human exposure via incidental dust ingestion for the Belgian population. Finally, the distribution of CPs in consumer goods and the migration of CPs to dust will be investigated to aid in mitigating harmful effects to human populations in the future.

Keywords:ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Disciplines:Analytical separation and detection techniques, Instrumental methods, Environmental chemistry

Project type:Collaboration project