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ANALYSIS OF AGED IN-HOME CARPETING TO DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES BETWEEN DUST, CARPET, AND PAD COMPARTMENTS
Citation:
Fortune, C. R., F. T. Blanchard, AND W. D. Ellenson. ANALYSIS OF AGED IN-HOME CARPETING TO DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES BETWEEN DUST, CARPET, AND PAD COMPARTMENTS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-00/030 (NTIS PB2000-101991), 2000.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this task is to contribute to a better understanding of human exposure to pesticides, especially for small children by developing methods to characterize sources and pathways in and around the residential environment. We will support the science behind FQPA and assist the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) in the development of guidelines for the assessment of residential exposure to pesticides. Specific research objectives include: (i) to evaluate and develop methods for measuring pesticides in air using passive/diffusive samplers. Assess and refine devices for the collection of surface transferable pesticide residues and to establish transfer efficiencies; (ii) to develop and apply analytical methods for new and emerging pesticides using both gas and liquid chromatographic methods in support of the National Exposure Research Laboratory's (NERL) Human Exposure Measurement Project; and, (iii) to conduct pilot studies investigating chiral chromatographic methods.
Description:
This report presents results of a study to determine the distribution of pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between dust and carpet components in aged carpeting. Carpeting in eight homes in the Research Triangle Area, which were recruited on the bases of carpet age . In each household, two 1 m2 areas, one high-traffic and one low-traffic, were selected for sampling prior to carpet replacement. Each area was first subjected to sampling with the PUF Roller to determine dislodgeable residues, then sequentially vacuumed with the HVS3 and Hoover Deep-dust vacuum systems and the collected dust samples separately analyzed. Subsequently, the carpet areas were excised and the pile removed from the backing for separate extraction and analysis. The carpet pad under the sampled areas was likewise extracted and analyzed, as was dust collected from the flooring beneath the pad. Analyses of all samples for 39 neutral-extractable pesticides, PAHs and PCBs revealed that the major portions of the pollutants were within the carpet fibers, backing and pad.
The work reported in this document was performed for the Exposure Methods and Monitoring Branch, National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, during the period July 1997 to April 1999 under Work Assignments 47 and 76 of Contract 68-5-0049 by ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., and by Southwest Research Institute under Subcontract 96-0049-01 to ManTech. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.