Bioactivity of carpeting: Utilizing the brine shrimp bioassay to assess potential for poor indoor air quality

Lila C Albin, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to adapt an existing methodology, the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, for use in predicting the potential for carpeting to contribute to poor indoor air quality. New carpet has frequently been cited as a source which caused deterioration of the indoor air quality. The volatile organic compounds that off-gas from the carpeting have been thought to be the primary source of this deterioration. To date, several methods have been used to characterized the volatile organic compound emissions from carpeting but, there has only been one bioassay test adapted to evaluate the irritancy or toxic potential of carpeting. A bioassay originally developed for natural product extract toxicity testing which uses brine shrimp as the test organism was investigated for applicability to environmental toxicity testing. The brine shrimp lethality bioassay would provide a second assay that could evaluate the irritancy or toxic potential of carpeting. Representative carpet samples were obtained from areas with occupants experiencing poor indoor air quality and from areas where occupants were not expressing complaints. Residues extracted from carpets were tested for toxicity using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. A residue was considered to be toxic if the LC$\sb{50}$ was less than 1000 parts per million of residue. Toxicity was found in residues extracted in hexane and ethanol from seven of nine carpet samples tested. The seven carpets that had the brine shrimp active residues were nylons. Five of the seven carpets had been associated with complaints about the indoor air quality that resulted after the carpets were installed. The brine shrimp lethality bioassay was further used to provide direction for the separation and isolation of the brine shrimp active compound from two of the carpet samples. The bioactive compound was isolated from the ethanol residues by means of HPLC separation techniques. The isolated compound was identified as dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid by a series of chemical identification tests which included IR, probe MS, and NMR analyses techniques. Thus, the brine shrimp lethality bioassay was successfully used to determine potential toxicity of carpeting components and to identify one of the components responsible for the toxicity.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Zimmerman, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Public health|Toxicology|Environmental science

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