Children’s exposure to chemicals in indoor environments - a literature survey of chemicals in dust

Children spend the majority of their time indoors where they can be exposed to hazardous chemicals in dust. Due to their frequent hand-to-mouth and object-to-mouth activities, children have a higher intake of dust compared to adults. Therefore, there is a need to estimate and evaluate children’s exposure to chemicals via dust in the indoor environments where they spend most time. In this report, we have reviewed the literature about chemicals in indoor dust collected in Europe, North America and Australasia over the last 13 years. In total, data from 132 publications reporting concentrations of chemicals in dust from homes, schools and preschools were included. The main chemical groups that have been measured in dust were brominated and organophosphate flame retardants (BFRs and OPEs), phthalates and non-phthalate plasticizers, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, pesticides, bisphenols, parabens and metals. High molecular weight phthalates and non-phthalate plasticizers were generally found at the highest concentrations in dust, followed by lead and some OPEs. The intakes of different chemicals via dust ingestion in 1-2 year old children, based on the highest reported median concentrations in dust, did not exceed available health based reference values. The estimated intakes of the phthalates DEHP and DBP, the brominated flame retardants BDE-47 and -99 as well as lead were among the highest in relation to the health based reference values. The relatively high intakes of phthalates are representative for indoor environments in Sweden, whereas the relatively high intakes of PBDEs reflect the high degree of contamination in the US, which is not relevant for Sweden. For lead, there is no established safe exposure level and the intakes of lead via dust ingestion in 1-2 year old children wer