Phthalates Concentration in House Dust of Kozani City (Greece): Exposure Estimation and Their Association with Building Characteristics

Phthalates can be found in personal care products as solvents and plasticizers in various polymers, especially PVC, wall coverings, certain paints, vinyl floor coverings, electronic devices, medical devices, food packages, toys, cables and other products. Humans are ingesting food products that contain phthalates, or they have dermal contact with phthalate-containing material, such as clothes, PVC gloves, personal care products or house dust. In this study, samples of dust from several houses in Kozani city, Greece, were collected and analyzed for phthalate concentration, and the potential association with building characteristics was examined utilizing detailed checklists. Samples were taken from the vacuum cleaner of the houses and extracted with ethyl acetate, and then analyzed with GC-MS in the SIM mode. The levels of phthalate ranged from 10.57 to 221.19 mu g/g for Di-iso-butyl phthalate (DiBP), 4.03 to 264.91 mu g/g for Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), 0.72 to 20.22 mu g/g for benzyl-butyl phthalate (BBP) and 62.73 to 1233.54 mu g/g for Di- (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), with detection limits of 4.5, 3.3, 11.6 and 13.1 ng/g, respectively. Using the Kruskal-Wallis statistical test, several associations were found between the measured phthalate and occupant activities (duration of ventilation and location of temporary garbage storage) and building characteristics (plastic or synthetic materials inside the houses).