Phthalates in Indoor Dust and Their Association with Building Characteristics Carl-Gustaf Bornehag,1,2,3 Björn Lundgren,1 Charles
J. Weschler,2,4 Torben Sigsgaard,5 Linda Hagerhed-Engman,1 and
Jan Sundell2 1Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, Borås, Sweden; 2International
Centre for Indoor Environment and Technology, Technical University of Denmark,
Lyngby, Denmark; 3Department of Public Health Sciences, Karlstad
University, Karlstad, Sweden; 4Environmental and Occupational Health
Sciences Institute, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey,
USA; 5Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Aarhus
University, Aarhus, Denmark Abstract In a recent study of 198 Swedish children with persistent allergic symptoms and 202 controls without such symptoms, we reported associations between the symptoms and the concentrations of n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in dust taken from the childrens’ bedrooms. In the present study we examined associations between the concentrations of different phthalate esters in the dust from these bedrooms and various characteristics of the home. The study focused on BBzP and DEHP because these were the phthalates associated with health complaints. Associations have been examined using parametric and nonparametric tests as well as multiple logistic regression. For both BBzP and DEHP, we found associations between their dust concentrations and the amount of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used as flooring and wall material in the home. Furthermore, high concentrations of BBzP (above median) were associated with self-reported water leakage in the home, and high concentrations of DEHP were associated with buildings constructed before 1960. Other associations, as well as absence of associations, are reported. Both BBzP and DEHP were found in buildings with neither PVC flooring nor wall covering, consistent with the numerous additional plasticized materials that are anticipated to be present in a typical home. The building characteristics examined in this study cannot serve as complete proxies for these quite varied sources. However, the associations reported here can help identify homes where phthalate concentrations are likely to be elevated and can aid in developing mitigation strategies. Key words: BBzP, building characteristics, DEHP, DnBP, homes, PVC flooring, sources. Environ Health Perspect 113:1399-1404 (2005) . doi:10.1289/ehp.7809 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 1 June 2005] Address correspondence to C.-G. Bornehag, Public Health Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden. Telephone: 46-54-700-25-40. Fax: 46-54-700-22-20. E-mail: carl-gustaf.bornehag@kau.se The study was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas) , Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association’s Research Foundation, the Swedish Foundation for Health Care Sciences and Allergy Research, and the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 1 December 2004 ; accepted 1 June 2005. The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |