Phthalate esters in settled dust of different indoor microenvironments; source of non-dietary human exposure

This study reports levels and profiles of phthalates in dust samples collected from three different microenvironments (cars, air conditioner (AC) filters and household floor dust) of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Kuwait. To the best of our knowledge, this is a very first study in the literature reporting phthalates in the indoor environments of KSA, which makes these findings very important. Our results showed that bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) were the major chemicals in all dust samples. DEHP was the overwhelming compound in all microenvironments occurred at median concentrations (mu g/g) of 1020, 1250, and 790 in Saudi household floor, car, and AC filter dust, respectively. The median levels (mu g/g) of DEHP in Kuwaiti car (320) and household floor (240) dust samples were 3-4 times lower than respective Saudi dust. Phthalates were higher in car dust than household dust and Ac filter dust, suggesting people spending more time in vehicles are at higher risk of exposure to these chemicals. Different exposure scenarios, using 5th percentile, median, mean, and 95th percentile levels, were estimated for adults and toddlers. For Saudi and Kuwaiti toddlers worst exposure scenario for DEHP, a cardiotoxic and endocrine disruptor, was calculated at 37630 and 6722 ng/kg body weight/day (ng/kg bw/d), respectively. This preliminary study provided first-hand baseline data of Phthalates from Gulf countries and which necessitate more detailed future studies in this region. Practical implications: The first study on the incidence of phthalates from different micro-environments of KSA. High levels of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were present in Kuwaiti and KSA indoor micro-environments suggesting a high use of DEHP in consumer products. Exposure to phthalates via dust ingestion is estimated high in Saudi toddlers, which is a cause of concern. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.