A Laundry Load of Chlorinated Flame Retardants: A pathway from households to wastewater treatment plants
Presentation Abstract
The role of household laundry as a pathway for the transport of flame retardants from homes to waterways was investigated. Flame retardants are commonly used in consumer products found in the home, and also widely found in surface water, sediments, fish, and wildlife. The mechanisms by which flame retardants are transported from indoor to outdoor environments, however, are largely unknown. Besides their known use in household products, flame retardants have been detected in indoor air, house dust, surface wipes, and in clothes dryer lint, indicating their mobility in the indoor environment. In recent years, chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants (ClOPFRs) have come into widespread use, in part as replacements for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). To investigate transport from the indoor to outdoor environment, household dust was collected from 20 homes in Longview and Vancouver, WA and analyzed for ClOPFRs. In addition, wastewater from household laundry was collected from each home to investigate the hypothesis that flame retardants on clothing and transferring to laundry water is a source to wastewater and waterways. Three ClOPFRs— tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP)—were detected in 100% of the dust samples at levels ranging up to 82,700 ng/g. The three ClOPFRs were detected in 100% of the laundry wastewater samples, at levels up to 561,000 ng/L. In contrast to PBDEs, the ClOPFRs are resilient to wastewater treatment, and previous research has detected these compounds in treatment plant effluent. The ClOPFR contribution of laundry wastewater to wastewater treatment plants was estimated. Based on these estimates, laundry water is likely the primary source of ClOPFRs to treatment plants. With their resilience to wastewater treatment, this pathway is a significant source of ClOPFR pollution in the aquatic environment.
Session Title
Session S-04B: Water Quality I
Conference Track
Toxics
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 8:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
Location
Room 608-609
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Fireproofing agents--Environmental aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Laundry--Environmental aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
A Laundry Load of Chlorinated Flame Retardants: A pathway from households to wastewater treatment plants
Room 608-609
The role of household laundry as a pathway for the transport of flame retardants from homes to waterways was investigated. Flame retardants are commonly used in consumer products found in the home, and also widely found in surface water, sediments, fish, and wildlife. The mechanisms by which flame retardants are transported from indoor to outdoor environments, however, are largely unknown. Besides their known use in household products, flame retardants have been detected in indoor air, house dust, surface wipes, and in clothes dryer lint, indicating their mobility in the indoor environment. In recent years, chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants (ClOPFRs) have come into widespread use, in part as replacements for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). To investigate transport from the indoor to outdoor environment, household dust was collected from 20 homes in Longview and Vancouver, WA and analyzed for ClOPFRs. In addition, wastewater from household laundry was collected from each home to investigate the hypothesis that flame retardants on clothing and transferring to laundry water is a source to wastewater and waterways. Three ClOPFRs— tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP)—were detected in 100% of the dust samples at levels ranging up to 82,700 ng/g. The three ClOPFRs were detected in 100% of the laundry wastewater samples, at levels up to 561,000 ng/L. In contrast to PBDEs, the ClOPFRs are resilient to wastewater treatment, and previous research has detected these compounds in treatment plant effluent. The ClOPFR contribution of laundry wastewater to wastewater treatment plants was estimated. Based on these estimates, laundry water is likely the primary source of ClOPFRs to treatment plants. With their resilience to wastewater treatment, this pathway is a significant source of ClOPFR pollution in the aquatic environment.
