Dust-phase phthalates in university dormitories and their associations with dormitory characteristics, occupancy activities and habits, as well as environmental factors

Phthalates are used extensively as plasticizers in everyday materials and pose serious health hazards to humans. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of dust-phase phthalates in university dormitories and their associations with dormitory characteristics, occupancy activities and habits, as well as environmental factors. We analyzed phthalate concentration levels in 142 dust samples collected from 13 university dormitories in Beijing and revealed the presence of ten phthalates with detection frequencies ranging from 82.4% to 100%. Among them, di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) were the dominant phthalates in dormitory dust with median contribution values of 32.1%, 30.7%, and 12.4%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression revealed a significant association between dormitory type, daily ventilation duration, indoor relative humidity, indoor temperature, and particulate matter (PM10) concentrations and phthalate concentrations in dormitory dust. Moreover, the principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that there were three and two sources of phthalates in the male and female dormitories, respectively. This study comprehensively investigated the concentration levels of phthalates in dust from university dormitories in Beijing. Our results can aid in the comprehension and reduction of phthalate exposure among university students.