Levels, sources, and health risk assessment of phthalate acid esters in indoor dust of various microenvironments in university

Abstract

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs), as a common group of plasticizers, are widely present in indoor environments and pose a risk to human health. Indoor dust samples collected from dormitory, classroom, laboratory, and office in several universities in China, were analyzed for seven types of PAEs. The total concentrations of seven PAEs (Σ₇PAEs) ranged from 4.87 to 360 μg/g, with a median concentration of 51 μg/g, which is lower than that reported by other studies. Using the median concentration of Σ₇PAEs as a metric, we assessed the levels of contamination in different microenvironments, resulting in the following ranking: dormitory > classroom > laboratory > office. There are significant differences in the levels of individual PAEs in different microenvironments. Radiation from sunlight, ventilation rates, cleaning frequency, and sprays were influential factors for the concentrations of individual PAEs in indoor dust. The indoor environmental conditions and consumption patterns profoundly affect PAEs levels. The sources of PAEs in classroom and office were more complex than in dormitory and laboratory. Daily intakes of PAEs were used to calculate carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human risk for males and females, indicating a low health risk to humans. This is the first study to assess the risk of PAEs in university microenvironments and provides a valuable reference for further research.

Keywords: Human exposure; Indoor microenvironment; Phthalates; Source identification.