Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Personal PM2.5-Bound Phthalates Exposure for Adults in Hong Kong

Jiayao Chen; Tony J Ward; Steven Sai Hang Ho; Kin Fai Ho

doi:10.3390/ijerph192013425

Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Personal PM_2.5-Bound Phthalates Exposure for Adults in Hong Kong

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 18;19(20):13425. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013425.

Authors

Jiayao Chen^{1

2}, Tony J Ward³, Steven Sai Hang Ho⁴, Kin Fai Ho⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
² Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China.
³ School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59801, USA.
⁴ Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA.
⁵ The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Abstract

We performed personal PM_2.5 monitoring involving 56 adult residents in Hong Kong. Additionally, paired personal and residential indoor fine particle (PM_2.5) samples were collected from 26 homes and from 3 fixed monitoring locations (i.e., outdoor samples). Six PM_2.5-bound phthalate esters (PAEs)-including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP)-were measured using a thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometer method. Average ∑₆PAEs (i.e., summation of six PAE congeners) concentrations in personal PM_2.5 exposure (699.4 ng/m³) were comparable with those in residential indoors (646.9 ng/m³), and both were slightly lower than the outdoor levels. DEHP was the most abundant PAE congener (80.3%-85.0%) and found at the highest levels in different exposure categories, followed by BBP, DnBP, and DnOP. Strong correlations were observed between DEHP with DnBP (r_s: 0.81-0.90; p < 0.01), BBP (r_s: 0.81-0.90; p < 0.01), and DnOP (r_s: 0.87-0.93; p < 0.01) in each exposure category. However, no apparent intercorrelations were shown for PAE congeners. Higher indoor concentrations and a stronger correlation between DMP and DEP were found compared with outdoor concentrations. Principal component analysis affirmed heterogeneous distribution and notable variations in PAE sources across different exposure categories. The average daily intakes of ∑₆PAEs and DEHP via inhalation were 0.14-0.17 and 0.12-0.16 μg/kg-day for adults in Hong Kong. A time-weighted model was used to estimate PAE exposures incorporating residential indoor and outdoor exposure and time activities. The inhalation cancer risks attributable to measured and estimated personal exposure to DEHP exceeded the U.S. EPA's benchmark (1 × 10^-6). The results provide critical information for mitigation strategies, suggesting that PAEs from both ambient and indoor sources should be considered when exploring the inhalation health risks of PAEs exposure.

Keywords: composition; di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP); inhalation exposure; personal exposure; residential indoor; risk assessment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Dibutyl Phthalate
Diethylhexyl Phthalate* / analysis
Esters / analysis
Hong Kong
Particulate Matter / analysis
Phthalic Acids* / analysis
Risk Assessment

Substances

butylbenzyl phthalate
di-n-octyl phthalate
Dibutyl Phthalate
Diethylhexyl Phthalate
dinoseb
Esters
Particulate Matter
phthalic acid
Phthalic Acids

Grants and funding

41907181/National Natural Science Foundation of China