Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) have been widely applied to substrates employed in different home and offices' appliances as flame retardant additives to inhibit ignition and enhance the fire safety. Their toxicity, health effects, and resistance to environmental degradation have been a matter of great interest among scientists. In a cross sectional study airborne concentrations of PBDEs were determined using PUF disk passive air samplers in 33 residential homes. For two homes, PBDE levels were monitored in two separate rooms within the same building for 12 months. Average airborne concentration of ΣPBDE (sum of congener #s 17, 28, 47, 49, 66, 85, 99, 100, 153, and 154) for all locations monitored was 52 (4-245) pgm-3. This range of concentrations results to a wide variation between inhalation intakes of dwellers of the lowest and the highest contaminated homes (~50 folds). While in one of the buildings the contaminant level of bedroom was significantly higher than the living room, PBDE concentrations remained relatively constant for whole monitoring period. These relatively low fluctuations in airborne concentrations, implies that excessive PBDE emission due to temperature rise in warmer months of the year offsets with enhanced natural ventilation rates of residential homes
