Environmental and human health exposure risk of polyfluoroalkyl and brominated flame retardants substances in natural waters and house dust in the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba

• Grant number: 21/11549-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: André Henrique Rosa
• Grantee: Juliana Araujo Ávila
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and BFRs (brominated flame retardants) are groups of contaminants that, due to their persistence and impacts on the environment, are classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). PFAS represent a class of more than 4,700 synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in different products such as: water resistant coatings, oils and greases. BFRs, on the other hand, have been used to provide flame retardancy in a variety of products, such as plastics, textiles, consumer electronics, among other applications. As concerns are growing about the adverse impacts caused by PFAS and BFRs due to their widespread use in consumer products, and the lack of studies within the approach of exposure to public and environmental health in Brazil, this project proposes to investigate the concentrations of PFAS and BFRs in natural water samples, providing information on the presence of these substances in water bodies that supply the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba, and also in domestic dust samples, assessing the risk of human exposure (through oral ingestion and cutaneous absorption). For this, dust samples will be collected from homes in the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba, as well as samples from nearby natural waters or accessible groundwater wells. In the laboratory, the samples will be analyzed for contaminant content, and estimates will then be made to assess the risk of human and environmental exposure in order to provide subsidies to public health agencies, as well as to the environment management sectors.