Assessment of the internal and external exposure risks to methylsiloxanes in communities near a petroleum refinery

Abstract

Methylsiloxanes (MSs) are widely used in industrial production and have attracted much attention due to their potential health risks to humans. MSs are present in emissions from petroleum refining, and it is therefore important to assess the health risks to residents living near refineries. In this study, we evaluated the pollution characteristics and human exposure risks of three cyclic MS (CMS) oligomers (D4-D6) in areas upwind and downwind of a petroleum refinery. The concentrations of total CMSs were 4-33 times higher in the downwind than upwind areas. At the same sampling site, the concentrations of CMSs were higher indoors than outdoors. The maximum concentration of CMSs was found in the indoor environment 200 m downwind of the petroleum refinery (75 μg/m³ in air and 2.3 μg/g in dust). The concentrations and detection rates of CMSs in plasma samples were higher in the downwind than upwind residents. Although residents living downwind of the petroleum refinery were a non-occupationally exposed population, they should be considered a highly CMS-exposed population because of their extremely high internal exposure doses. Inhalation exposure was the main source of CMSs in the plasma of these residents. When different exposure pathways were investigated, inhalation exposure was the major contributor to the average daily dose in residents of locations near the petroleum refinery, whereas the dermal absorption of personal care products was the major contributor at other sites. Although the overall risks of exposure to total CMSs were below the chronic reference dose for all exposure pathways, the combined joint toxic effects of various CMSs remain unclear. Further studies are therefore required to determine the exposure risks and subsequent health effects of CMSs for the residents of these areas.

Keywords: Human exposure; Methylsiloxanes; Petroleum refinery; Plasma; Upwind and downwind.