Would
you please describe the significance of your paper and why it is highly
cited?
|
|
|
|
 |
|
“Brominated flame retardants are now a
ubiquitous contaminant and concentrations are growing rapidly in
some environmental matrices.” |
|
|
|
|
This work was significant because it demonstrated that a new
class of persistent organic pollutant (POP) was accumulating in our
homes. Brominated flame retardants are now a ubiquitous contaminant
and concentrations are growing rapidly in some environmental
matrices. Furthermore, the work suggests that indoor environments
(i.e. air and dust in our homes and offices) may be significantly
increasing our exposure to this class of bioaccumulative chemical.
How
did you become involved in this research, and were there any particular
successes or obstacles that stand out?
I became involved in this research after reading about the
application and use of these chemicals in products we find routinely
in our homes and offices. The incorporation of these chemicals into
these products (e.g., TVs, furniture, and carpets) is done in such a
way that it is likely that they will leach out of the products over
time. Therefore, the natural follow-up question was whether or not
these chemicals were accumulating in our home environments.
Where
do you see your research and the broader field leading in the future?
This research lays a foundation for future research into human
exposure routes in indoor environments. It is still not clear how we
are accumulating these chemicals in our bodies. But what is clear is
that there is an abundance of these chemicals in the air and dust
within our homes. More studies are needed to determine if
inadvertent dust ingestion may be a dominant route of exposure. This
is particularly important for determining children's exposure to
this class of potential neurotoxicants.
Does
your work have any social or political implications?
This work does have some political implications. Several state
legislators are currently writing bills to ban some of these
flame-retardant chemicals for use in furniture and electronic
products.
Heather M. Stapleton, Ph.D.
Nicholas School of the Environment & Earth Sciences
Duke University
Durham, NC, USA
n
the interview below, Dr. Heather Stapleton talks about the
paper, "Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in house dust and
clothes dryer lint" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 39[4]:
925-31, 15 February 2005), which is one of the core papers
in our