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ABSTRACT: The rapid increase in the number of consumer products containing engineered nanoparticles (ENP) raises concerns about an appropriate risk assessment of these products. Along with toxicological data, exposure estimates are essential for assessing risk. Currently, cosmetics and personal care products (C&PCP) represent the largest ENP-containing consumer product class on the market. We analyzed factors influencing the likelihood that ENP-containing products are available to consumers. We modelled potential external exposure of German consumers, assuming a maximum possible case where only ENP-containing products are used. The distribution of exposure levels within the population due to different behavior patterns was included by using data from an extensive database on consumer behavior. Exposure levels were found to vary significantly between products and between consumers showing different behavior patterns. The assessment scheme developed here represents a basis for refined exposure modelling as soon as more specific information about ENPs in C&PCP becomes available.
Nanotoxicology 03/2011; 5(1):12-29. · 5.76 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical that is found in human urine throughout industrial societies around the globe. Consumer exposure pathways to BPA include packaged food, household dust, air, and dental fillings. To date, information on the relative contribution of the different pathways to total consumer exposure is lacking, but is key for managing substance-associated risks. We investigated the relative contributions of the pathways known to be most relevant for nine different consumer groups. Our results suggest that the most important pathways for infants and children are the use of polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles and for adults and teenagers the consumption of canned food. Dental surgery can also considerably contribute over a short time directly after the surgery. For infants fed with PC baby bottles with mean dose rates of 0.8 microg/kg(bw)/d the highest exposure dose rate was calculated. This dose rate is far below the tolerable daily intake of 50 microg/kg(bw)/d. However, it is of the same order of magnitude as recently reported concentrations that caused low-dose health effects in rodents. We find a pattern of falling exposure levels with rising age that is supported by urinary concentrations of BPA available for selected consumer groups. Similarly, the exposure levels we predict are confirmed by the levels reported in these studies.
Risk Analysis 01/2010; 30(3):473-87. · 2.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Phthalates have been detected in various types of retail foods. Consumers' exposure to phthalates is common. Consumers are concerned about chemicals in food. Our aim was to investigate the relationships between consumers' exposure to phthalates through food, consumers' interest in a natural and healthy diet, risk perception of food chemicals, and consumers' diet patterns. We collected data through a mail survey in the adult Swiss-German population (N = 1,200). We modeled exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP) based on a food frequency questionnaire and phthalate concentrations reported from food surveys. Using rating scales, we assessed risk perceptions of chemicals in food and interest in a natural and healthy diet. Higher risk perceptions and higher natural and healthy diet interest were associated with higher daily doses of DEHP, BBP, and DEP. No health risk from phthalates in food was identified for the vast majority of the population. Four consumers' diet clusters were discerned, with differences in phthalate exposure, risk perceptions, and interest in a natural and healthy diet. This study shows that even those consumers who express strong interest in natural food and low acceptance of food chemicals, and who try to make respective food choices, are exposed to contaminants such as phthalates.
Risk Analysis 05/2009; 29(8):1170-81. · 2.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The exposure of humans to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was quantified with emphasis on assessing the relative importance of metabolic transformation of precursor compounds. A Scenario-Based Risk Assessment (SceBRA) approach was used to model the exposure to these compounds from a variety of different pathways, the uptake into the human body and resulting daily doses. To capture the physiological and behavioral differences of age and gender, the exposure and resulting doses for seven consumer groups were calculated. The estimated chronic doses of a general population of an industrialized country range from 3.9 to 520 ng/(kg day) and 0.3 to 140 ng/(kg day) for PFOS and PFOA, respectively. The relative importance of precursor-based doses of PFOS and PFOA was estimated to be 2-5% and 2-8% in an intermediate scenario and 60-80% and 28-55% in a high-exposure scenario. This indicates that sub groups of the population may receive a substantial part of the PFOS and PFOA doses from precursor compounds, even though they are of low importance for the general population. Similar to a preceding study, uptake of perfluorinated acids from contaminated food and drinking water was identified as the most important pathway of exposure for the general population. The biotransformation yields of telomer-based precursors and to a lesser extent perfluorooctanesulfonylfluoride-based precursors were identified as influential parameters in the uncertainty analysis. Fast food consumption and fraction of food packaging paper treated with PFCs were influential parameters for determining the doses of PFOA.
Chemosphere 10/2008; 73(10):1617-24. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Perfluorinated compounds have been used for more than 50 years as process aids, surfactants, and for surface protection. This study is a comprehensive assessment of consumer exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from a variety of environmental and product-related sources. To identify relevant pathways leading to consumer exposure to PFOS and PFOA a scenario-based approach has been applied. Scenarios represent realistic situations where age- and gender-specific exposure occurs in the everyday life of consumers. We find that North American and European consumers are likely to experience ubiquitous and long-term uptake doses of PFOS and PFOA in the range of 3 to 220 ng per kg body weight per day (ng/kg(bw)/day) and 1 to 130 ng/kg(bw)/day, respectively. The greatest portion of the chronic exposure to PFOS and PFOA is likely to result from the intake of contaminated foods, including drinking water. Consumer products cause a minor portion of the consumer exposure to PFOS and PFOA. Of these, it is mainly impregnation sprays, treated carpets in homes, and coated food contact materials that may lead to consumer exposure to PFOS and PFOA. Children tend to experience higher total uptake doses (on a body weight basis) than teenagers and adults because of higher relative uptake via food consumption and hand-to-mouth transfer of chemical from treated carpets and ingestion of dust. The uptake estimates based on scenarios are within the range of values derived from blood serum data by applying a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model.
Risk Analysis 05/2008; 28(2):251-69. · 2.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The awareness of potential risks emerging from the use of chemicals in all parts of daily life has increased the need for risk assessments that are able to cover a high number of exposure situations and thereby ensure the safety of workers and consumers. In the European Union (EU), the practice of risk assessments for chemicals is laid down in a Technical Guidance Document; it is designed to consider environmental and human occupational and residential exposure. Almost 70 EU risk assessment reports (RARs) have been finalized for high-production-volume chemicals during the last decade. In the present study, we analyze the assessment of occupational and consumer exposure to trichloroethylene and phthalates presented in six EU RARs. Exposure scenarios in these six RARs were compared to scenarios used in applications of the scenario-based risk assessment approach to the same set of chemicals. We find that scenarios used in the selected EU RARs to represent typical exposure situations in occupational or private use of chemicals and products do not necessarily represent worst-case conditions. This can be due to the use of outdated information on technical equipment and conditions in workplaces or omission of pathways that can cause consumer exposure. Considering the need for exposure and risk assessments under the new chemicals legislation of the EU, we suggest that a transparent process of collecting data on exposure situations and of generating representative exposure scenarios is implemented to improve the accuracy of risk assessments. Also, the data sets used to assess human exposure should be harmonized, summarized in a transparent fashion, and made accessible for all risk assessors and the public.
Risk Analysis 09/2007; 27(4):979-90. · 2.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Phthalic acid esters (phthalates) are used as plasticizers in numerous consumer products, commodities, and building materials. Consequently, phthalates are found in human residential and occupational environments in high concentrations, both in air and in dust. Phthalates are also ubiquitous food and environmental contaminants. An increasing number of studies sampling human urine reveal the ubiquitous phthalate exposure of consumers in industrialized countries. At the same time, recent toxicological studies have demonstrated the potential of the most important phthalates to disturb the human hormonal system and human sexual development and reproduction. Additionally, phthalates are suspected to trigger asthma and dermal diseases in children. To find the important sources of phthalates in Europeans, a scenario-based approach is applied here. Scenarios representing realistic exposure situations are generated to calculate the age-specific range in daily consumer exposure to eight phthalates. The scenarios demonstrate that exposure of infant and adult consumers is caused by different sources in many cases. Infant consumers experience significantly higher daily exposure to phthalates in relation to their body weight than older consumers. The use of consumer products and different indoor sources dominate the exposure to dimethyl, diethyl, benzylbutyl, diisononyl, and diisodecyl phthalates, whereas food has a major influence on the exposure to diisobutyl, dibutyl, and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalates. The scenario-based approach chosen in the present study provides a link between the knowledge on emission sources of phthalates and the concentrations of phthalate metabolites found in human urine.
Risk Analysis 07/2006; 26(3):803-24. · 2.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Synthetic organic chemicals are ingredients of many consumer products used daily. Consumers are therefore constantly exposed to a broad spectrum of synthetic organic chemicals, which might be irritants or have other effects harmful to human health, in the consumption phase of the product life cycle. Relevant examples are the polycyclic musk fragrances that make up an important group of synthetic fragrance compounds. Using a scenario-based approach, we simulate various product uses and calculate the resulting dermal exposure to the musk fragrances 6-acetyl-1,1,2,4,4,7-hexamethyltetraline and hexahydro-hexamethyl-cyclopenta (γ)-2-benzopyran for a wide spectrum of consumer products. The product spectrum was selected from scented personal care products and household cleansing agents. Exposure to musk fragrances is calculated with two dermal exposure models, and results are presented for female and male European consumers. The variability of required inputs is accounted for by assuming minimal, average or median, and maximal values for important model parameters. The study identifies a limited number of types of scented consumer products as significantly contributing to daily dermal consumer exposure to musk fragrances. Exposure levels resulting from the simultaneous use of these products and the number of exposed consumers are investigated.
Journal of Industrial Ecology 12/2004; 9(1‐2):237 - 258. · 2.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Zusammenfassung Perfluorierte Tenside werden in einer Vielzahl von Konsumen-tenprodukten eingesetzt, z.B. in Imprägnierungsmitteln für Textilien, Teppiche und Nahrungsmittelverpackungen sowie in Beschichtungen für Kochgeschirr. Insbesondere Perfluor-octansäure (PFOA) und Perfluoroctansulfonsäure (PFOS) sind in zahlreichen Umweltmedien, Nahrungsmitteln und in Proben aus menschlichem Gewebe gefunden worden. Aufgrund der grossen Vielzahl eingesetzter Perfluor-verbindungen (diverse Monomere und Polymere, welche immer auch Monomerverunreinigungen enthalten) und der Vielzahl der Anwendungen dieser Verbindungen ist es schwierig, die wichtigsten Quellen für die Konsumenten-exposition gegenüber Perfluorverbindungen zu identifizieren und zu minimieren. Wir betrachten hier PFOA und PFOS als die beiden Substanzen, die am häufigsten und in den höchsten Konzentrationen experimentell nachgewiesen wurden. Wir wenden die Methode der szenariengestützten Risikobewertung (Scenario-Based Risk Assessment, SceBRA) an, um die Beiträge einer Vielzahl von Expositions-quellen zu quantifizieren und die relevantesten dieser Quellen zu identifizieren; die Analyse wird für Europa und Nord-amerika im Vergleich und für sieben Konsumentengruppen (Kleinkinder bis Erwachsene) durchgeführt. Die untersuchten Aufnahmepfade enthalten u.a. 18 verschiedene Nahrungs-mittel, Verschlucken von Hausstaub, In-den-Mund-Nehmen von behandelter Kleidung (Kleinkinder), Inhalation bei der Anwendung von Imprägniersprays, Hand-Mund-Kontakt und In-den-Mund-Nehmen bei behandelten Teppichen, Inhalation bei Teppichimprägnierung sowie Übergang aus impräg-niertem Papier/Karton in Nahrung. Für alle Pfade wurden Bandbreiten bestimmt, welche die Unsicherheit der eingehenden Parameter reflektieren. Die Exposition gegen-über PFOS stammt hauptsächlich aus Nahrung, welche mit PFOS aus der Umwelt kontaminiert ist; die Exposition ist für Kleinkinder [im Mittel 36 ng/(kg KG ·d)] höher als für Erwachsene [12 ng/(kg KG ·d)]. Exposition gegenüber PFOA stammt ebenfalls hauptsächlich aus der Nahrung, aber bei Kleinkindern zu erheblichem Anteil auch aus dem Verschlucken von Hausstaub und dem Kontakt mit impräg-nierten Teppichen. Bei Erwachsenen ist neben dem Kontakt mit Teppichen auch ein Beitrag aus der Verwendung von Imprägniersprays und aus Fertignahrung in imprägnierter Verpackung möglich. Einleitung und Methodik Perfluoroctansäure (engl. perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA) und Perfluoroctansulfonsäure (PFOS) gehören zur Gruppe der perfluorierten Tenside (PFT). PFT besitzen eine polare, z.T. auch reaktive Kopfgruppe und eine perfluorierte Alkankette. Die perfluorierte Alkankette verleiht den Substanzen wasser-und zugleich fettabweisenden Charakter.
