Aerosol source apportionment uncertainty linked to the choice of input chemical components.

For a Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) aerosol source apportionment (SA) studies there is no standard procedure to select the most appropriate chemical components to be included in the input dataset for a given site typology, nor specific recommendations in this direction. However, these choices are crucial for the final SA outputs not only in terms of number of sources identified but also, and consequently, in the source contributions estimates. In fact, PMF tends to reproduce most of PM mass measured independently and introduced as a total variable in the input data, regardless of the percentage of PM mass which has been chemically characterized, so that the lack of some specific source tracers (e.g. levoglucosan) can potentially affect the results of the whole source apportionment study. The present study elaborates further on the same concept, evaluating quantitatively the impact of lacking specific sources' tracers on the whole source apportionment, both in terms of identified sources and source contributions. This work aims to provide first recommendations on the most suitable and critical components to be included in PMF analyses in order to reduce PMF output uncertainty as much as possible, and better represent the most commons PM sources observed in many sites in Western countries. To this aim, we performed three sensitivity analyses on three different datasets across EU, including extended sets of organic tracers, in order to cover different types of urban conditions (Mediterranean, Continental, and Alpine), source types, and PM fractions. Our findings reveal that the vehicle exhaust source resulted to be less sensitive to the choice of analytes, although source contributions estimates can deviate significantly up to 44 %. On the other hand, for the detection of the non-exhaust one is clearly necessary to analyze specific inorganic elements. The choice of not analysing non-polar organics likely causes the loss of separation of exhaust and non-exhaust factors, thus obtaining a unique road traffic source, which provokes a significant bias of total contribution. Levoglucosan was, in most cases, crucial to identify biomass burning contributions in Milan and in Barcelona, in spite of the presence of PAHs in Barcelona, while for the case of Grenoble, even discarding levoglucosan, the presence of PAHs allowed identifying the BB factor. Modifying the rest of analytes provoke a systematic underestimation of biomass burning source contributions. SIA factors resulted to be generally overestimated with respect to the base case analysis, also in the case that ions were not included in the PMF analysis. Trace elements were crucial to identify shipping emissions (V and Ni) and industrial sources (Pb, Ni, Br, Zn, Mn, Cd and As). When changing the rest of input variables, the uncertainty was narrow for shipping but large for industrial processes. Major and trace elements were also crucial to identify the mineral/soil factor at all cities. Biogenic SOA and Anthropogenic SOA factors were sensitive to the presence of their molecular tracers, since the availability of OC alone is unable to separate a SOA factor. Arabitol and sorbitol were crucial to detecting fungal spores while odd number of higher alkanes (C27 to C31) for plant debris.

Discovering oxidative potential (OP) drivers of atmospheric PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 simultaneously in North-Eastern Spain.

Ambient particulate matter (PM) is a major contributor to air pollution, leading to adverse health effects on the human population. It has been suggested that the oxidative potential (OP, as a tracer of oxidative stress) of PM is a possible determinant of its health impact. In this study, samples of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were collected roughly every four days from January 2018 until March 2019 at a Barcelona urban background site and Montseny rural background site in northeastern Spain. We determined the chemical composition of samples, allowing us to perform source apportionment using positive matrix factorization. The OP of PM was determined by measuring reactive oxygen species using dithiothreitol and ascorbic acid assays. Finally, to link the sources with the measured OP, both a Pearson's correlation and a multiple linear regression model were applied to the dataset. The results showed that in Barcelona, the OP of PM10 was much higher than those of PM2.5 and PM1, whereas in Montseny results for all PM sizes were in the same range, but significantly lower than in Barcelona. In Barcelona, several anthropogenic sources were the main drivers of OP in PM10 (Combustion + Road Dust + Heavy Oil + OC-rich) and PM2.5 (Road Dust + Combustion). In contrast, PM1 -associated OP was driven by Industry, with a much lower contribution to PM10 and PM2.5 mass. Meanwhile, Montseny exhibited no clear drivers for OP evolution, likely explaining the lack of a significant difference in OP between PM10, PM2.5, and PM1. Overall, this study indicates that size fraction matters for OP, as a function of the environment typology. In an urban context, OP is driven by the PM10 and PM1 size fractions, whereas only the PM1 fraction is involved in rural environments.

2011-2020 trends of urban and regional ammonia in and around Barcelona, NE Spain.

It is well established that in environments where NH3 abundance is limiting in secondary PM2.5 generation, a reduction of NH3 emissions can result in an important contribution to air quality control. However, as deduced from open data published by the European Environmental Agency, the availability of measurements of NH3 concentrations is very scarce, with very few countries in Europe reporting data consistently for extensive periods, this being especially true for urban background sites. In this framework, simultaneous multi-site measurements were carried out in NE (Northeast) Spain from 2011 to 2020, using diffusion tubes. The highest NH3 concentrations were recorded at the traffic site (5.3 µgm-3 on average), followed by those measured at the urban background site (2.1 µgm-3). Mean concentrations at the mountain site were 1.6 µgm-3, while the lowest concentrations were recorded at the regional site (0.9 µgm-3). This comparison highlights traffic emissions as an important source of NH3. A statistically significant time trend of this pollutant was observed at the urban background site, increasing by 9.4% per year. A season-separated analysis also revealed a significant increasing trend at the mountain site during summer periods, probably related with increasing emissions from agricultural/livestock activities. These increases in NH3 concentrations were hypothesized to be responsible for the lack of a decreasing trend of NO3- concentrations at the monitoring sites, in spite of a markedly reduction of NO2 during the period, especially at the urban background. Thus, this would in turn affect the effectiveness of current action plans to abate fine aerosols, largely made up of secondary compounds. Actions to reduce NH3 concentrations at urban backgrounds are challenging though, as predicting NH3 is subjected to a high uncertainty and complexity due to its dependence on a variety of factors. This complexity was clearly indicated by the application of a decision tree algorithm to find the parameters better predicting NH3 at the urban background under study. O3, NO, NO2, CO, SO2 and OM + EC concentrations, together with meteorological indicators, were used as independent variables, obtaining no combination of parameters evidently able to predict significant differences in NH3 concentrations, with a coefficient of determination between real and predicted measurements lower than 0.50. This emphasizes the need for highly temporally and spatially resolved NH3 measurements for an accurate design of abatement actions.

E-waste dismantling as a source of personal exposure and environmental release of fine and ultrafine particles.

Electronic waste (WEEE; from TV screens to electric toothbrushes) is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. Prior to recycling, e-waste components (metals, wood, glass, etc.) are processed by shredding, grinding and chainsaw cutting. These activities generate fine and ultrafine particle emissions, containing metals as well as organics (e.g., flame retardants), which have high potential for human health impacts as well as for environmental release. In this work, release of fine and ultrafine particles, and their exposure impacts, was assessed in an e-waste recycling facility under real-world operating conditions. Parameters monitored were black carbon, particle mass concentrations, ultrafine particles, and aerosol morphology and chemical composition. Potential health impacts were assessed in terms of cytotoxicity (cell viability) and oxidative stress (ROS) on <2 µm particles collected in liquid suspension. Environmental release of WEEE aerosols was evidenced by the higher particle concentrations monitored outside the facility when compared to the urban background (43 vs.11 µgPM2.5/m3, respectively, or 2.4 vs. 0.2 µgCa/m3). Inside the facility, concentrations were higher in the top than on the ground floor (PM2.5 = 147 vs. 78 µg/m3, N = 15.4 ∗ 104 vs. 8.7 ∗ 104/cm3, BC = 12.4 vs. 7.2 µg/m3). Ventilation was a key driver of human exposure, in combination with particle emissions. Key chemical tracers were Ca (from plastic fillers) and Fe (from wiring and other metal components). Y, Zr, Cd, Pb, P and Bi were markers of cathode TV recycling, and Li and Cr of grinding activities. While aerosols did not evidence cytotoxic effects, ROS generation was detected in 4 out of the 12 samples collected, associated to the ultrafine fraction. We conclude on the need for studies on aerosol emissions from WEEE facilities, especially in Europe, due to their demonstrable environmental and human health impacts and the rapidly growing generation of this type of waste.

Non-linear models for black carbon exposure modelling using air pollution datasets.

Black carbon (BC) is a product of incomplete combustion, present in urban aerosols and sourcing mainly from road traffic. Epidemiological evidence reports positive associations between BC and cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Despite this, BC is currently not regulated by the EU Air Quality Directive, and as a result BC data are not available in urban areas from reference air quality monitoring networks in many countries. To fill this gap, a machine learning approach is proposed to develop a BC proxy using air pollution datasets as an input. The proposed BC proxy is based on two machine learning models, support vector regression (SVR) and random forest (RF), using observations of particle mass and number concentrations (N), gaseous pollutants and meteorological variables as the input. Experimental data were collected from a reference station in Barcelona (Spain) over a 2-year period (2018-2019). Two months of additional data were available from a second urban site in Barcelona, for model validation. BC concentrations estimated by SVR showed a high degree of correlation with the measured BC concentrations (R2 = 0.828) with a relatively low error (RMSE = 0.48 µg/m3). Model performance was dependent on seasonality and time of the day, due to the influence of new particle formation events. When validated at the second station, performance indicators decreased (R2 = 0.633; RMSE = 1.19 µg/m3) due to the lack of N data and PM2.5 and the smaller size of the dataset (2 months). New particle formation events critically impacted model performance, suggesting that its application would be optimal in environments where traffic is the main source of ultrafine particles. Due to its flexibility, it is concluded that the model can act as a BC proxy, even based on EU-regulatory air quality parameters only, to complement experimental measurements for exposure assessment in urban areas.

Exposure of e-waste dismantlers from a formal recycling facility in Spain to inhalable organophosphate and halogenated flame retardants.

Concentration levels of 16 organophosphate esters (OPEs) and 18 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) were measured in airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from an e-waste dismantling facility in Catalonia (Spain) to assess their occurrence, profiles and potential health risks. Three different areas from the facility were studied, including an area for cathodic ray-tube (CRT) TV dismantling, a grinding area, and the outdoor background. OPEs and HFRs were detected in all samples, with concentrations between 10.4 and 110 ng/m3 for OPEs and from 0.72 to 2213 ng/m3 for HFRs. The compounds with highest concentrations in both working areas were triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) for OPEs and decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) for HFRs. Higher concentration levels were found in the CRT area compared to the grinding one, probably due to the lower ventilation and different types of e-waste being processed. OPEs were also detected in the solid e-waste from the facility, highlighting the need to evaluate pollutant levels in e-waste before proceeding to its re-use. Estimated daily intakes via inhalation during workday were calculated, as well as carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks, these being 25 and 50 times lower than threshold risk values in the worst cases, respectively. However, this calculated risk only considers the workday exposure via inhalation, while other routes of exposure (e.g., ingestion, dermal) could bring these values closer to threshold values.

Organophosphate esters in airborne particles from subway stations.

For the first time, the concentrations of 19 organophosphate esters (OPEs) were measured in airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from subway stations in Barcelona (Spain) to investigate their occurrence, contamination profiles and associated health risks. OPEs were detected in all PM2.5 samples with levels ranging between 1.59 and 202 ng/m3 (mean value of 39.9 ng/m3). Seventeen out of 19 tested analytes were detected, with TDClPP, TClPP and TCEP being those presenting the highest concentrations. OPE concentrations are not driven by the same factors that determine the ambient PM2.5 concentrations of other constituents in the subway. Newer stations presented higher OPE levels, probably due to the materials used in the design of the platforms, with greater use of modern plastic materials versus older stations with tiles and stones. Estimated daily intakes via airborne particles inhalation during the time expended in subway stations were calculated, as well as the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks (CR and non-CR), all being much lower than the threshold risk values. Thus, subway inhalation exposure when standing on the platform to OPE's per se is not considered to be dangerous for commuters.

A Multicentre Study of Nursing Leadership in Andalusian Hospitals from a Gender-based Perspective

ABSTRACT Introduction: Leadership is the ability to guide subordinates in a direction or decision so that they can perform a task or achieve a goal that leaves them feeling empowered and accomplished. Leaders are capable of producing changes and at the same time, they inspire others to do the same. This research analysed gender-based differences and dimensions of nursing leadership styles in 18 hospitals in Andalusia, a region of southern Spain. Methods: The sample population of the study comprised 335 subjects, who were middle managers in 18 public regional hospitals in Andalusia. The instrument used to measure different leadership styles was the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X-Short form), which is composed of 45 items. Results: The study showed that the most predominant leadership style was transactional leadership with a mean value of M = 4.22 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.42) followed by transformational leadership with a mean value of M = 3.97 (SD 0.45). Of the three styles analysed, transactional leadership had the highest statistical median for both male and female subjects. From a gender-based perspective, transformational leadership showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) between men and women. This was true for leadership styles as well as for the dimensions that define each style. Conclusion: The most frequent leadership style in middle nursing management in Andalusian hospitals was transactional leadership. In regard to the three leadership styles as well as their dimensions, the female subjects obtained the highest scores. This means that from a gender-based perspective, female nursing managers had better performance levels than their male counterparts in the regional hospital system in Andalusia.

Las coagulopatías del trauma / Traumatic coagulopathies

No disponible

Lesión laríngea en el traumatismo cervical cerrado / Laryngeal injury in closed cervical traumatism

No disponible

Perfil de tromboelastometría rotacional (ROTEM) en una cohorte de asistolia no controlada / Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) profile in a cohort of asystole donors

Introducción: La hipoperfusión juega un papel central en el shock, y es un desencadenante de la coagulopatía. El estudio del perfil ROTEM durante la parada cardíaca prolongada podría ofrecer nuevos conocimientos sobre la fisiopatología de la coagulopatía por shock. Objetivo: Describir el perfil de tromboelastometría rotacional en una cohorte de donantes en asistolia y determinar la incidencia de hiperfibrinólisis. Diseño: Cohortes prospectivo. Incluimos 18 pacientes ingresados tras parada cardíaca extrahospitalaria no recuperada. Se recopiló el primer ritmo cardíaco registrado, los tiempos de parada y los de asistencia. Al ingreso se realizaron test de coagulación convencional y ROTEM (EXTEM, APTEM, FIBTEM) en los 30min tras la obtención de la muestra. Ámbito: El estudio se llevó a cabo en un hospital de tercer nivel incluido en un programa de donación en asistolia. Participantes: Pacientes en parada cardíaca extrahospitalaria no recuperada. Resultados: La mediana de edad fue de 50años y 14 de los participantes eran hombres (77,8%). La mediana de tiempo (rango intercuartílico) desde la parada hasta la obtención de muestras fue de 91min (75-104). Los resultados de la coagulación fueron: INR 1,25 (1,19-1,34), TTPA 55s (45-73) y fibrinógeno 161mg/dl (95-295). Los resultados del ROTEM (APTEM): CT 126s (104-191), CFT 247s (203-694). En 15 (83,3%) se cumplió el criterio de hiperfibrinólisis. También se observó mejoría del MCF en APTEM frente a EXTEM. Tiempos más prolongados se asociaron con niveles inferiores de fibrinógeno y un MCF FIBTEM inferior (p<0,05). Conclusiones: El análisis ROTEM mostró una profunda alteración en la formación del coágulo junto con alta incidencia de hiperfibrinólisis

Background: Hypoperfusion plays a central role in shock states, and has been proposed as a coagulopathy trigger. The study of the rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) profile during cardiac arrest could offer new insights to the role of hypoperfusion in coagulation during shock states. Outcome: To describe the ROTEM profile in a cohort of asystole donors and elucidate the incidence of hyperfibrinolysis. Design: A prospective observational study was carried out in 18 patients consecutively admitted to the ICU after out-of-hospital non-recovered cardiac arrest (CA). Initial rhythm and time between CA and admission were recorded. Conventional coagulation and ROTEM (EXTEM, APTEM, FIBTEM) tests were performed within 30minutes after blood sample collection. Scope: An asystole donor reference hospital. Participants: Patients admitted to the ICU after out-of-hospital non-recovered CA. Results: The median age was 50years, and 14 of the patients were men (77.8%). The time from CA to hospital admission expressed as the median (interquartile range) was 91minutes (75-104). The results of the routine tests were: INR 1.25 (1.19-1.34), aPTT 55s (45-73) and fibrinogen 161mg/dl (95-295). For the ROTEM APTEM assay the results were: CT 126s (104-191), CFT 247s (203-694). Hyperfibrinolysis criteria were recorded in 15 patients (83.3%). In addition, MCF improved in APTEM versus EXTEM. Prolonged CA times were associated to lower fibrinogen levels and lower values for MCF FIBTEM (P<.05). Conclusions: The ROTEM assays revealed severe alterations of the clot formation parameters and a high incidence of hyperfibrinolysis

Vertical and horizontal fall-off of black carbon and NO2 within urban blocks.

While exposure to traffic pollutants significantly decreases with distance from the curb, very dense urban architectures hamper such dispersion. Moreover, the building height reduces significantly the dispersion of pollutants. We have investigated the horizontal variability of Black Carbon (BC) and the vertical variability of NO2 and BC within the urban blocks. Increasing the distance from road BC concentrations decreased following an exponential curve reaching halving distances at 25 m (median), although with a wide variability among sites. Street canyons showed sharper fall-offs than open roads or roads next to a park. Urban background concentrations were achieved at 67 m distance on average, with higher distances found for more trafficked roads. Vertical fall-off of BC was less pronounced than the horizontal one since pollutants homogenize quickly vertically after rush traffic hours. Even shallower vertical fall-offs were found for NO2. For both pollutants, background concentrations were never reached within the building height. A street canyon effect was also found exacerbating concentrations at the lowest floors of the leeward side of the road. These inputs can be useful for assessing population exposure, air quality policies, urban planning and for models validation.

African dust and air quality over Spain: Is it only dust that matters?

The 2001-2016 contribution of African dust outbreaks to ambient regional background PM10 and PM2.5 levels over Spain, as well as changes induced in the PMx composition over NE Spain in 2009-2016, were investigated. A clear decrease in PMx dust contributions from the Canary Islands to N Iberia was found. A parallel increase in the PM2.5/PM10 ratio (30% in the Canary Islands to 57% in NW Iberia) was evidenced, probably due to size segregation and the larger relative contribution of the local PMx with increasing distance from Africa. PM1-10 and PM2.5-10 measured in Barcelona during African dust outbreaks (ADOs) were 43-46% higher compared to non-ADO days. The continental background contribution prevailed in terms of both PM1-10 and PM2.5-10 during ADO days (62 and 69%, respectively, and 31 and 27% for non-ADO days). The relative contributions of Al2O3/Fe2O3/CaO to PMx fraction showed that Al2O3 is a suitable tracer for African dust in our context; while CaO at the urban site is clearly affected by local resuspension, construction and road dust, and Fe2O3 by dust from vehicle brake discs. The results also provide evidence that PM increases during ADOs are caused not only by the mineral dust load, but by an increased accumulation of locally emitted or co-transported anthropogenic pollutants as compared with non-ADO days. Possible causes for this accumulation are discussed. We recommend that further epidemiological studies should explore independently the potential effects of mineral dust and the anthropogenic PM during ADOs, because, at least over SW Europe, not only mineral dust affects the air quality during African dust episodes.

Predicción de hemorragia masiva a nivel extrahospitalario: validación de seis escalas / Prediction of massive bleeding in a prehospital setting: validation of six scoring systems

Objetivo: Validar a nivel extrahospitalario la capacidad diagnóstica de seis escalas de predicción para hemorragia masiva. Diseño: Cohorte retrospectiva. Ámbito: Atención extrahospitalaria del paciente con enfermedad traumática grave. Participantes: Pacientes mayores de 15 años, que han sufrido un trauma grave (definido por los criterios de código 15), atendidos en el medio extrahospitalario por un servicio de atención sanitaria de emergencias desde enero de 2010 hasta diciembre de 2015 y trasladados a un centro hospitalario de alta complejidad en Madrid. Variables de interés principales: Se validaron las siguientes escalas: 1. Trauma Associated Severe Haemorrhage score. 2. Assessment of Blood Consumption Score. 3. Emergency Transfusion Score. 4. Índice de Shock. 5. Prince of Wales Hospital/Rainer Score. 6. Larson Score. Resultados: Se estudiaron 548 pacientes, el 76,8% (420) fueron hombres, una edad mediana de 38 (rango intercuartil [RIC]: 27-50). Injury Severity Score de 18 (RIC: 9-29). El trauma cerrado fue el 82,5% (452). La frecuencia global de HM fue de 9,2% (48), días de estancia en UCI de 2,1 (RIC: 0,8 - 6,2) y una mortalidad hospitalaria del 11,2% (59). La escala con mayor precisión fue la Emergency Transfusion Score (AUC 0,85), en segundo lugar se encuentran Trauma Associated Severe Haemorrhage y Prince of Wales Hospital/Rainer (AUC 0,82); la escala con menor precisión Assessment of Blood Consumption (AUC 0,68). Conclusiones: A nivel extrahospitalario la aplicación de cualquiera de las seis escalas predice la presencia de hemorragia masiva y permite la activación de los protocolos de transfusión masiva mientras el paciente es trasladado a un centro hospitalario

Objective: To validate the diagnostic ability of six different scores to predict massive bleeding in a prehospital setting. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Prehospital attention of patients with severe trauma. Subjects: Subjects with more than 15 years, a history of severe trauma (defined by code 15 criteria), that were initially assisted in a prehospital setting by the emergency services between January 2010 and December 2015 and were then transferred to a level one trauma center in Madrid. Variables: To validate: 1. Trauma Associated Severe Haemorrhage Score. 2. Assessment of Blood Consumption Score. 3. Emergency Transfusión Score. 4. Índice de Shock. 5. Prince of Wales Hospital/Rainer Score. 6. Larson Score. Results: 548 subjects were studied, 76,8% (420) were male, median age was 38 (interquartile range [IQR]: 27-50). Injury Severity Score was 18 (IQR: 9-29). Blunt trauma represented 82,5% (452) of the cases. Overall, frequency of MB was 9,2% (48), median intensive care unit admission days was 2,1 (IQR: 0,8 - 6,2) and hospital mortality rate was 11,2% (59). Emergency Transfusión Score had the highest precisions (AUC 0,85), followed by Trauma Associated Severe Haemorrhage score and Prince of Wales Hospital/Rainer Score (AUC 0,82); Assessment of Blood Consumption Score was the less precise (AUC 0,68). Conclusion: In the prehospital setting the application of any the six scoring systems predicts the presence of massive hemorrhage and allows the activation of massive transfusion protocols while the patient is transferred to a hospital

Effectiveness of commercial face masks to reduce personal PM exposure.

Cycling and walking are promoted as means of transportation which can contribute to the reduction of traffic pollution in urban areas. However, cyclists and pedestrians may be exposed to high concentrations of air pollutants due to their proximity to vehicle emissions. Commercial face mask respirators are widely used, in both developing and developed countries, as an individual protective measure against particle pollution. However scientific data on the efficacy of face mask respirators in reducing airborne particle exposure is limited. In this study, a custom experimental set-up was developed in order to measure the effectiveness of nine different respirators under real environmental conditions in terms of particle mass concentration below 2.5 µm (PM2.5), particle number concentration (PNC), Lung Deposited Surface Area (LDSA) and Black Carbon concentration (BC). Face mask performances were assessed in a typical traffic affected urban background environment in the city of Barcelona under three different simulated breathing rates to investigate the influence of flow rate. Results showed a median face mask effectiveness for PM2.5 equal to 48% in a range of 14-96%, 19% in a range of 6%-61% for BC concentration, 19% in a range of 4%-63% for PNC and 22% in a range of 5%-65% for LDSA. For each pollutant under investigation, the best performance was found always with the same mask (N7) although it is not the most expensive (in a range of price of 1 to 44, its cost was 20 euros), which has a filter on the entire surface except for the 2 exhalation valves where air cannot enter but just exit and shows a good fit on the dummy head.

Particle-phase concentrations and sources of legacy and novel flame retardants in outdoor and indoor environments across Spain.

Levels of particle-phase legacy polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and novel brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, such as decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and Dechlorane Plus (DP), were measured in ambient outdoor air, indoor workplace air and indoor dust, in different locations across Spain. PBDE concentrations were generally higher in outdoor ambient air samples than in indoor air, ranging between 1.18 and 28.6 pg m-3, while DP was the main flame retardant (FR) in indoor air (2.90-42.6 pg m-3). A different behavior of legacy versus novel FRs was observed in all the environments and matrices considered, which seemed to indicate a progressive replacement of the former. Although the emission sources could not be fully identified, certain evidences suggested that high outdoor PBDE concentrations could be associated with old goods in landfills and recycling centers, while high indoor DP concentrations were linked to the presence of new electronic devices. A direct impact of land use on outdoor atmospheric DP concentrations was observed, with DP concentrations correlating with high density of buildings within a city. In addition, DP concentrations outdoors correlated with inorganic species with FR properties (e.g., Cr, Cu). Significant differences in the fraction of anti-DP to the total DP (Fanti ratio) were observed between indoor air (PM2.5) and dust (PM10), which could be related with: a) a dependence on particle size, suggesting a higher relative abundance of the anti-isomer in PM10 than in PM2.5, while similar concentrations were recorded for the syn-isomer; b) a higher deposition rate of the anti-isomer compared to the syn-isomer; and/or c) a more accentuated preferential degradation of the anti-isomer linked to artificial light or other agents coexisting in the air. The detectable presence of all the FR families analyzed in indoor air and dust points to the importance of monitoring these compounds in order to minimize human exposure.