Exposure factors for cleaning, automotive care, and surface protection products for exposure assessments

Ventilation and posture effects on inhalation exposures to volatile cleaning ingredients in a simulated domestic worker cleaning environment

Associations between cleaning chemical exposures and asthma have previously been identified in professional cleaners and healthcare workers. Domestic workers, including housecleaners and caregivers, may receive similar exposures but in residential environments with lower ventilation rates. Study objectives were to compare exposures to occupational exposure limits (OELs), to determine relative contributions from individual cleaning tasks to overall exposure, and to evaluate the effects of ventilation and posture on exposure. Airborne chemical concentrations of sprayed cleaning chemicals (acetic acid or ammonia) were measured during typical cleaning tasks in a simulated residential work environment. Whole-house cleaning exposures (18 cleaning tasks) were measured using integrated personal sampling methods. Individual task exposures were measured with a sampling line attached to subjects' breathing zones, with readings recorded by a ppbRAE monitor, equipped with a photoionization detector calibrated for ammonia and acetic acid measurements. Integrated sampling results indicated no exposures above OELs occurred, but 95th percentile air concentrations would require risk management decisions. Exposure reductions were observed with increased source distance, with lower exposures from mopping floors compared to kneeling. Exposure reductions were also observed for most but not all tasks when ventilation was used, with implications that alternative exposure reduction methods may be needed.

Consumer exposure and risk assessment to selected chemicals of mold stain remover use in Korea

Mold stain remover (MSR) is used to clean mold and mildew spots from surfaces and contains a variety of chemical substances. In this study, we estimated the inhalation and dermal exposures associated with the use of trigger spray MSRs, and performed screening-level risk assessments for the use of this type of product in Korea. Inhalation and dermal exposures were estimated using exposure algorithms based on exposure factors obtained from a nationwide survey of 10,000 participants and chemical analyses of the four most popular trigger spray MSRs. The hazard quotients (HQs) for noncancer risk and excess cancer risk (ECR) were calculated for each chemical. The mean inhalation exposure estimates for formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride were 6.9 × 10^-7, 1.7 × 10^-7, 5.4 × 10^-6, and 2.7 × 10^-5 mg/kg/day, respectively. Dermal exposures of the chemicals were 5.7-6.5 times higher than inhalation exposures. The HQs for total exposure were all below 1, which indicated little noncancer risk from the use of MSRs. The safe ECR value of 1 × 10^-6, was exceed in one subject for inhalation exposure of benzene and four subjects for dermal exposure of formaldehyde, while 19.8% for dermal exposure of benzene were above this value. Therefore, use of trigger spray MSRs in Korea should require more detailed exposure and risk assessment, especially for benzene.

Safety Behaviors to Reduce Risk of Using Chemical Household Products: An Application of the Risk Perception Attitude Framework

Various chemical household products (CHPs) can make life more convenient; however, CHP users have higher rates of chemical exposure and are faced with the risk of accidents associated with using these products. Safe use of CHPs requires that individuals perform safety-related behaviors such as reading and following CHP risk information. As such, it may be worthwhile to apply the Risk Recognition Attitude (RPA) framework to classify groups of CHP users and investigate whether there is a difference in the safety behaviors between them. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to (a) examine social determinants of each group in the RPA framework, (b) identify different policies that would be effective for each group, and (c) provide evidence to inform the development of effective policies and risk communication strategies that encourage safety behaviors. The study included 1537 subjects and used an ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey test to examine practices of the four groups in terms of two safety behaviors. A multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify factors that influence the classification of the group types. The results confirmed that safety behaviors associated with using CHPs differed according to weak levels of efficacy beliefs. Two groups of particular concern for low rates of safety behaviors were those with lower education and income levels. Recommendations include (a) customized safety policies and risk communications based on RPA characteristics, (b) distinctive messaging for different groups, (c) policy support for vulnerable populations, and (d) implementing ‘user-centered’ rather than ‘substance-centered’ policies and communications for the public.

Characteristics of exposure factors and inhalation exposure to selected spray consumer products in Korean population

Many consumer spray products are sold for various purposes. Use of spray products can cause adverse health effects. This study evaluated exposure factors for consumer spray products and assessed the particle inhalation exposure. Six consumer spray products were evaluated: an automobile interior cleaner, car deodorizing spray, anti-static spray, waterproofing spray, microorganism deodorizer, and disinfectant spray. The exposure factors were based on 10,000 respondents over 15 years old. Inhalation dose was calculated from the concentration released into the room air and time used. The use rates of the spray products ranged from 0.4 to 11% and differed significantly by gender (p < 0.001). Aerosol types had a higher mass per use and longer duration of usage than trigger types. The median concentration of the trigger type ranged from 17.35 to 373.38 mg/m³, while that of the aerosol type ranged from 36.66 to 1601.97 mg/m³. The median inhalation dose of the trigger and aerosol types ranged from 2.04 × 10^-3 to 0.20 and 2.60 × 10^-3 to 1.71 mg/kg/day, respectively. The inhalation dose of the disinfectant spray increased with the level of education (p < 0.001), while the inhalation doses of the other spray products were not significantly associated with gender, age, income, or education.

Inhalation exposure factors from the use of household products in South Korea

Exposure assessment, a fundamental element of the risk assessment process, is the estimation of what consumers may be exposed to by using household products. Reliable exposure factors were investigated to understand the pattern of household products usage. Six household product categories were selected and divided by application types. Two surveys were carried out and 6397 participants completed the web-based questionnaires, and laboratory evaluations were also conducted to measure the actual level of exposure (g/use). We focused more on inhalation exposure from products (and/or their application types) that affect indoor air such as diffusible types. To estimate actual exposure amounts, the time spent to apply the products was investigated from the beginning to end of the product use. For spraying type products, the consumer could be exposed to the maximum amount of used product while using the triggering action and pressing the button on the aerosol spray product, and during cleaning, adhesion, and coating target, consumer could be exposed continuously. For diffuser type products, exposure duration was the time for which consumers were exposed to the diffused product. The exposure amount for trigger and aerosol spray type products were measured using the time taken to trigger or spray the product and the mass generated from the same. This study provides valuable information on the individual exposure factors that may be useful to conduct accurate exposure assessments and to manage household products.

Determining Exposure Factors of Anti-Fogging, Dye, Disinfectant, Repellent, and Preservative Products in Korea

Reliable exposure factors are essential to determine health risks posed by chemicals in consumer products. We analyzed five risk-concerned product categories (anti-fogging, dye, disinfectant, repellent, and preservative products) for 13 products (three car anti-fogging products, a lens anti-fogging product, two car dye products, two drain disinfectants, an air conditioner disinfectant, a chlorine-based disinfectant, a fabric repellent, an insect repellent for food, and a wood preservative) considered to be of high risk in order to determine exposure factors via web surveys and estimation of amount of product. Among the 3000 participants (1482 (49%) men) aged ≥19 years, drain disinfectants were used most frequently (38.2%); the rate of usage of the other products ranged between 1.1–24.0%. The usage rates for the consumer products differed by sex, age, income, and education. Some consumer products such as car and lens anti-fogging products, chlorine-based disinfectants, fabric repellents, and drain disinfectants were regularly used more than once a month, while car dye products, air conditioner disinfectants, insect repellents for food, and wood preservatives were not regularly used owing to the specific product purposes and seasonal needs. Our results could be used for managing or controlling chemical substances in consumer products and conducting accurate exposure assessments.