Atmospheric occurrence and gas-particle partitioning of PBDEs at industrial, urban and suburban sites of Thessaloniki, northern Greece: Implications for human health

- PBDEs were measured at industrial site and in the urban agglomeration of Thessaloniki.
- Mean ∑12PBDE concentrations (g+p) where higher at the industrial site, than urban-traffic and urban-background site.
- The dominant congeners in all samples were BDE-47 and BDE-99.
- Average outdoor inhalation exposure and non-carcinogenic risk assessments was estimated.

Air samples were collected during the cold and the warm period of the year 2012 and 2013 at three sites in the major Thessaloniki area, northern Greece (urban-industrial, urban-traffic and urban-background) in order to evaluate the occurrence, profiles, seasonal variation and gas/particle partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The mean total concentrations of particle phase ∑12PBDE in the cold season were 28.7, 19.5 and 3.87 pg m−3 at the industrial, urban-traffic and urban-background site, respectively, dropping slightly in the warm season (23.7, 17.5 and 3.14 pg m−3), respectively. The corresponding levels of gas-phase ∑12PBDE were 14.4, 7.15 and 4.73 pg m−3 in the cold season and 21.2, 11.1 and 6.27 pg m−3 in the warm season, respectively. In all samples, BDE-47 and BDE-99 were the dominant congeners. Absorption of PBDEs in the organic matter of particles appeared to drive their gas/particle partitioning, particularly in the cold season. The estimated average outdoor workday inhalation exposure to ∑12PBDE in the cold and the warm period followed the order: industrial site (288 and 299 pg day−1) > urban-traffic site (178 and 191 pg day−1) > urban-background site (58 and 63 pg day−1). The exposures to BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-153 and ∑3PBDE via inhalation, for children outdoor worker and seniors were several orders of magnitude lower than their corresponding oral RfD values.

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