Phthalate esters in indoor dust matter of Palermo (Italy) area. Extraction, GC-MS analysis

Abstract

Indoor air is normally monitored using automatic. Consequently, the costs and difficulty in managing the monitoring of a great number of indoor environments appear immediately relevant. A practical problem in analyzing environmental contaminants is their very low concentration near or below the detectable analytical limits. In air, concentrations widely vary over time. Interpreting trace contaminants concentrations in air and predicting the threat they pose to human life under variable physical-chemical conditions are very difficult. The purpose of this work is to present a simple method to analyze phthalic esters in indoor dust, used as a passive sampler, because there is a correlation between the persistent allergic symptoms in children and the concentration of phthalic esters in dust collected in the bedrooms. The compounds analyzed in this paper are: dimethyl, diethyl, di-n-butyl, benzyl butyl, bis (2-ethylhexyl) and di-n-octyl phthalate. Total PAEs concentrations in indoor dusts ranged from 216 to 4589 mg/kg, with an average of 1323 mg/kg. We note differences in phthalate concentrations between buildings from different construction periods; the total concentration of PAEs was higher in ancient houses compared to those constructed later. A linear correlation between total PAEs concentration and age of the building was calculated (r=0.71). The value of r increases if we consider single BBZP (r=0.84) and DEHP (r=0.92).