Co-Release of Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and Nano- and Microparticles from Thermal Cutting of Polystyrene Foams

• Published in: Environmental science & technology 2012-10, Vol.46 (20), p.10990-10996
• Main Authors: Zhang, Haijun, Kuo, Yu-Ying, Gerecke, Andreas C, Wang, Jing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols; Aerosols - analysis; Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis; Applied sciences; Atmospheric aerosols; Atmospheric pollution; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical compounds; Chemical compounds (mineral, organic); Chemical, physic and infectious diseases; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Flame Retardants - analysis; Human exposure; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - analysis; Indoor pollution and occupational exposure; Medical sciences; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - analysis; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Occupational hazards; Occupational medicine; Particle Size; Pollution; Polystyrene foams; Polystyrenes - analysis; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Assessment; Toxicity; Workplace - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es302559v

Polystyrene foam is a very important insulation material, and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is frequently used as its flame retardant. HBCD is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic, and therefore workplace exposure and environmental emission should be avoided. In this study, we investigated the co-release of HBCD and aerosol particles during the thermal cutting of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) and extruded polystyrene foam (XPS). The generated particles were simultaneously measured by a fast mobility particle sizer (FMPS) and collected by a cascade impactor (NanoMoudi). In the breathing zone of a cutting worker, the number concentration of aerosol particles was above 1 × 1012 particles m–3, and the air concentration of HBCD was more than 50 μg m–3. Most of the released HBCD was partitioned into particles with an aerodynamic diameter at the nanometer scale. The average concentrations of HBCD in these submicrometer particles generated from the thermal cutting of EPS and XPS were 13 times and 15 times higher than the concentrations in raw foams, respectively. An occupational exposure assessment indicated that more than 60% of HBCD and 70% of particles deposited in the lung of cutting worker would be allocated to the alveolar region. The potential subchronic (or chronic) toxicity jointly caused by the particles and HBCD calls for future studies.