Sources, Fate and Exposure to Organophosphate Flame Retardants

PRESENTER: Mr Chang He (QAEHS PhD Candidate)

ABSTRACT: Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are widely used as flame retardants in various consumer and industrial products, such as plastics, electronic equipment, furniture, textiles, and building materials.  Some OPFRs are known to be relatively persistent, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and neurotoxic. However, data on environmental persistence and toxicity of OPFRs are limited. The knowledge gap leaves large uncertainties in the fate in both environment and human body. 

The aim of my project is to generate information on the occurrence of OPFRs in indoor environment, and to provide information on human exposure to OPFRs. In the first chapter, a new analytic method of OPFR in dust samples will be developed and validated. Then, OPFR levels in indoor air and dust from different microenvironments will be assessed. The following two chapters will assess the fate of OPFRs in human, in which OPFR metabolites in urine samples collected from Australian kids will be assessed. Another chapter is proposed to estimate human intake and pathways of OPFRs. Together, the outcome of this project would provide some information on the source of OPFRs in environment, and their fate and exposure to human beings.