Chlorinated ethyl and isopropyl phosphoric acid triesters in the indoor environment - An inter-laboratory exposure study

The chlorinated organo-phosphate triesters, tris(2-chloroethyl)-phosphate (TCEP) and tris(monochloroisopropyl)-phosphate (TCPP), are employed in consumer articles for indoor usage, e.g. flame retardants and plasticizers in foam material as well as in paints, varnishes and wallpapers. As a result of this widespread usage, employing domestic dust as a matrix, both chemicals have been detected in the indoor environment. TCEP was present in 85% of a total of 983 samples, whereas TCPP was found in 60-90% of 436 cases (with levels ranging from 0.1 to 375 mg/kg). Since TCEP and TCPP residues in domestic dust are assumed to be condensates arising from primary sources, spot check analysis of various indoor materials was performed. The results show that soft foams, paints and wallpapers contained mainly TCEP, whereas in insulation and sealant foams high levels of TCPP were found. Moreover, TCEP can also be detected in indoor air in concentrations up to 6,000 ng/m(3). On the basis of this data, we estimated the levels of indoor exposure via oral and inhalative ingestion.