Publications

September 2020: New research just published on Irish population exposures to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been used extensively in applications such as electrical goods, soft furnishings and building insulation foam.  

Dr Marie Coggins and Dr Nina Wemken from the School of Physics, along with colleagues at the University of Birmingham have been working on the EPA research project, ELEVATE. ELEVATE measured selected BFRs and PFASs in indoor air and dust samples collected  from Irish homes, offices, cars and school classrooms. PFASs were also measured in samples of Irish tap water and bottled water. The same contaminants were measured in samples of human milk donated by Irish mothers. Project data facilitated an assessment of human exposure to these chemicals, allowing comparison with guidelines on human exposure developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the revised European Union Drinking Water Directive. If you would like to learn more about POPs and Irish population exposure to POP-BFR and PFASs please read our project report at the following link: ELEVATE - EPA Research Project Report 

Publications

Concentrations of Brominated Flame Retardants in Indoor Air and Dust from Ireland Reveal Elevated Exposure to Decabromodiphenyl Ethane. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b02059

Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Drinking Water, Indoor Air and Dust from Ireland: Implications for Human Exposure. Environ. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04604

Emerging and legacy brominated flame retardants in the breast milk of first time Irish mothers suggest positive response to restrictions on use of HBCDD and Penta- and Octa-BDE formulations. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENVRES.2019.108805

Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl substances in human milk from Ireland: Implications for both adult and nursing infant exposure. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125724