Mechanisms influencing the BFR distribution patterns in office dust and implications for estimating human exposure

Theoretical distribution patterns of SVOCs in indoor dust according to particle size. [Display omitted] ► Distribution patterns of BFRs in office dust were investigated. ► Influencing factors on distribution patterns of BFRs were discussed. ► Selection of dust fraction is influential on BFR analytical results, especially for deca-BDE. ► Human exposure will be underestimated if non-adherent larger particles are included for analysis. ► It is recommended that hand dust samples can be synchronously sampled when sampling indoor dust. The availability of indoor dust for human exposure by hand adhesion depends on size of dust particle. This paper investigates the distribution patterns of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) with particle size in indoor dust. A mixed sample of office dust was obtained from twenty eight high-level offices at Haidian District, Beijing, China. The composite dust (