Citation:

Liang, Y., X. Liu, AND M. Allen. The Influence of Temperature on the Emissions of Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants from Polyisocyanurate Foam: Measurement and Modeling. CHEMOSPHERE. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 233:347-354, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.289

Impact/Purpose:

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) are produced and used widely as alternative additives in building materials and consumer products such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring, electrical and electronic products, furniture, textile coatings and plastics. Acute adverse effects associated to humans and animals have been found for OPFRs, such as tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(1-chlor-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP), and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP). Understanding the emission mechanisms of OPFRs and temperature influence on the emissions from source materials is a prerequisite to characterize their fate and transport in indoor environments and further develop strategies to limit exposures and protect human health. However, there is no systematic investigation available to characterize the effect of temperature on the mechanisms governing emissions of OPFRs. The aim of this study is to measure and characterize the emissions of OPFRs from source materials under different temperatures. In this study, tests were conducted to determine the parameters controlling the emissions of OPFRs from foam material using a microchamber method. Based on the test results, the emission rates of OPFRs under different temperatures were determined. The material-phase and partition coefficients were also obtained. More importantly, the relationships between the parameters and temperature were obtained. The results of this research will provide parameters associated with emission parameters to estimate the emission rates of OPFRs in different environmental scenarios.

Description:

The material-phase diffusion coefficient (Dm) and material/air partition coefficient (Kma) are the key parameters controlling the emissions of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from source materials. In indoor environments, temperature is subject to change and can significantly affect the emission rates of SVOCs from building materials and consumer products. In this study, the emissions of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) from polyisocyanurate foam were measured in 44-mL microchambers at 23, 35, and 55 °C. The values of Dm and Kma at different temperatures were determined. The results showed that the increase of temperature can significantly enhance the emissions of OPFRs from the foam material, and the emissions of OPFRs were found to transfer from SVOC-type to volatile organic compound (VOC)-type with the increase of temperature. A correlation for OPFRs between the steady-state emission rate and temperature and correlations between Dm, Kma, and temperature were obtained.

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