Analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, hexabromocyclododecanes, and legacy and emerging phosphorus flame retardants in human hair

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2021-01, Vol.262, p.127807-127807, Article 127807
• Main Authors: Tang, Bin, Xiong, Shi-Mao, Zheng, Jing, Wang, Mei-Huan, Cai, Feng-Shan, Luo, Wei-Keng, Xu, Rong-Fa, Yu, Yun-Jiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hair; HBCDDs; Method development; PBDEs; PFRs/ePFRs; Validation
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127807

Human hair has been identified as a non-invasive alternative matrix for assessing the human exposure to specific organic contaminants. In the present study, a solvent-saving analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 8 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 3 hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs), 12 phosphorus flame retardants (PFRs), and 4 emerging PFRs (ePFRs) has been developed and validated for the first time. Hair sample preparation protocols include precleaning with Milli-Q water, digestion with HNO3/H2O2 (1:1, v/v), liquid–liquid extraction with hexane:dichloromethane (4:1, v/v), and fractionation and cleanup on a Florisil cartridge. The method was validated by using two levels of spiked hair samples of 3 replicates for each spiking group. Limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.12–22.4 ng/g for all analytes, average values of accuracies were ranging between 88 and 115%, 82–117%, 81–128%, and 81–95% for PBDEs, HBCDDs, PFRs, and ePFRs, respectively; and precision was also acceptable (RSD