Understanding the role of a specific microenvironment in personal exposure to semi-volatile organic compounds using silicone wristbands

Abstract

Assessment of personal exposure to semi-volatile organic compounds was facilitated using silicone wristbands (SWBs), an easy-to-use sampler that reflects total inhalation and dermal exposure from all the microenvironments and the activities in which the user was involved. Hence, SWBs help understand exposure from various routes, activities, and microenvironments. Offices are critical microenvironments where workers spend one-third of their daily time on weekdays; hence exposure from offices should be more extensively studied. This study aimed to investigate the personal exposure of university personnel and elaborate on the contribution of the exposure due to the office air to their overall exposure using SWBs. One SWB was worn by the participant, and another was hung in their office. After seven days of sampling on the wrist, exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was found to be related to combustion activities at home or from open fire, whereas exposure to organophosphate esters and phthalates was suggested to originate from building materials, such as flooring materials and paints, and consumer products, e.g. mattresses and furniture. PAHs in the participants' offices were influenced by the transport of outdoor air and phthalates from the ceiling material. Then, we estimated the equivalent air concentrations using the SWBs sampled from the offices and previously developed sampling rates and partition coefficients. The estimated office air exposure contributions to total inhalation and dermal exposure were 83%, 51%, and 39% for fluorene, tri(n-butyl) phosphate, and tris(2-chloro isopropyl) phosphate, respectively. These findings were consistent with the statistical analysis of personal data. To conclude, this study highlighted the importance of specific microenvironments in our exposure to particular SVOCs, offering strategies for indoor air quality management and human health risk assessment.