Passive sampling methods to determine household and personal care product use

Mapping domestic water use to quantify water-demand and water-related contaminant exposure in a peri-urban community, Indonesia

Water use of domestic activities was quantified by interviewing 217 people in a peri-urban community near Bandung, Indonesia. Resulting in data on domestic water demand and data needed for exposure modelling of domestic activities: drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, swimming, bathing, laundry, dishwashing, religious cleansing, washing hands and cleaning food. Average total domestic water usage was 117 l/person/day, topping the WHO guidelines for basic needs (50-100 l/person/day). This water use level is comparable with higher income countries for the same set of activities but 100% higher than water use in an Indonesian traditional rural community. The final dataset provides insight in quantity of water used for domestic activities, as well as the use-frequency, duration and water sources used. These data are scarce for Indonesia and other low-middle income countries but necessary for water demand studies and estimating risks through exposure to pathogens and emerging contaminants in human exposure modelling.

Application habits and practices of regular sunscreen users in the United States: Results of an online survey

A nationwide online survey assessed claimed usage of sunscreen products in 2283 self-identified regular sun protection factor (SPF) consumers (RSPFC) in the United States. Subjects applied sunscreen most frequently when spending more than 3 h in the sun. Sunscreen usage peaks during the summer, with sunny weather prompting 99% usage of beach/recreational SPF products but drops to approximately 50% and 30% on partly cloudy and cloudy days, respectively, regardless of SPF product category. About half of RSPFC augment sunscreen product usage by limiting time in the sun and wearing a hat. SPF products are not reapplied by approximately 20-60% of RSPFC, depending upon product category, and reapplication was less than 33% on cloudy and partly cloudy days. Primary reasons for reapplication were water exposure, number of hours in the sun, and being active/sweating, most notably for beach/recreational SPF products. Importantly, in children, 45% of parents reported "redness" as a signal for reapplying sunscreen product. Only 10% of respondents correctly identified sunscreen products as drugs. Based on these results, while sunscreens may share common ingredients and efficacy measures, their usage by consumers varies widely depending on product type, season, weather, gender, age, and geographical location.

Exposure to Disinfectants and Cleaning Products and Respiratory Health of Workers and Children in Daycares: The CRESPI Cohort Protocol

Although cleaning tasks are frequently performed in daycare, no study has focused on exposures in daycares in relation to respiratory health. The CRESPI cohort is an epidemiological study among workers (n~320) and children (n~540) attending daycares. The purpose is to examine the impact of daycare exposures to disinfectants and cleaning products (DCP) on the respiratory health of workers and children. A sample of 108 randomly selected daycares in the region of Paris has been visited to collect settled dust to analyze semi-volatile organic compounds and microbiota, as well as sample indoor air to analyze aldehydes and volatile organic compounds. Innovative tools (smartphone applications) are used to scan DCP barcodes in daycare and inform their use; a database then matches the barcodes with the products' compositions. At baseline, workers/parents completed a standardized questionnaire, collecting information on DCP used at home, respiratory health, and potential confounders. Follow-up regarding children's respiratory health (monthly report through a smartphone application and biannual questionnaires) is ongoing until the end of 2023. Associations between DCP exposures and the respiratory health of workers/children will be evaluated. By identifying specific environments or DCP substances associated with the adverse respiratory health of workers and children, this longitudinal study will contribute to the improvement of preventive measures.

Modelling Exposure by Spraying Activities-Status and Future Needs

Spray applications enable a uniform distribution of substances on surfaces in a highly efficient manner, and thus can be found at workplaces as well as in consumer environments. A systematic literature review on modelling exposure by spraying activities has been conducted and status and further needs have been discussed with experts at a symposium. This review summarizes the current knowledge about models and their level of conservatism and accuracy. We found that extraction of relevant information on model performance for spraying from published studies and interpretation of model accuracy proved to be challenging, as the studies often accounted for only a small part of potential spray applications. To achieve a better quality of exposure estimates in the future, more systematic evaluation of models is beneficial, taking into account a representative variety of spray equipment and application patterns. Model predictions could be improved by more accurate consideration of variation in spray equipment. Inter-model harmonization with regard to spray input parameters and appropriate grouping of spray exposure situations is recommended. From a user perspective, a platform or database with information on different spraying equipment and techniques and agreed standard parameters for specific spraying scenarios from different regulations may be useful.

The Relationship between Epidemiologic Factors and Usage Pattern of Hair Care Products in Korea

Background

For hair care products that are used almost everyday, it is important to estimate the cumulative dosage of long-term exposure and to assess the effects on the human body. Little data are available to evaluate actual daily usage in Asian populations.

Objective

Reliable exposure data for hair care products is essential to conduct safety assessments.

Methods

We evaluated the actual usage pattern and amounts by checking the daily log over a 2-week period, to obtain all the data regarding the participants' hair care preferences. And, statistical analyses were conducted to analyze the daily use amount (g/d) and daily usage per hair length (g/cm/d), and other variables by sex, age group, and hair oiliness.

Results

Throughout this study, we found that female users consumed significantly larger daily amounts of shampoo and rinse. Male groups used more hair gel and spray than female groups. Interestingly, all the hair care products studied scored higher levels of usage among men when calibrated per unit length. Koreans tend to use lesser amount of rinse although their hairs are usually thicker than the Western hairs.

Conclusion

This study provides exposure information for commonly used hair care products, which will be useful for risk assessment purposes.

Assessing exposure factors in the smartphone generation: Design and evaluation of a smartphone app that collects use patterns of cosmetics and household chemicals

Exposure factors form the basis of reliable exposure estimates. The growing demand for population-specific exposure factors for complex exposure models is challenged by continuously declining response rates in surveys: Current survey methods clearly need a boost by user-friendly and efficient technologies. We compared the performance of a smartphone app to a paper questionnaire based on a survey on exposure factors that offered the choice between both methods and based on an observational study that investigated the performance of both methods. The development costs for smartphone app and paper questionnaire were comparable with 15'000 and 13'500 US-$, respectively. The cost efficiency for the paper questionnaire was much better than for the app, but model calculations show that the cost efficiency of the app improves considerably with adequate promotion and for larger surveys, especially for those with regular repetitions. Barcode scanning of consumer products by app saved time and effort of the participants and enhanced reliability. The app was able to attract the attention of younger adults between 20 and 40 years old: Thus, the limited representativity for younger age groups that sometimes is observed for paper-based surveys may be enhanced by including the option to use an app in a mixed-mode survey.

An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report: Presentations and Discussion of the Sixth Jack Pepys Workshop on Asthma in the Workplace

The Sixth Jack Pepys Workshop on Asthma in the Workplace focused on six key themes regarding the recognition and assessment of work-related asthma and airway diseases: (1) cleaning agents and disinfectants (including in swimming pools) as irritants and sensitizers: how to evaluate types of bronchial reactions and reduce risks; (2) population-based studies of occupational obstructive diseases: use of databanks, advantages and pitfalls, what strategies to deal with biases and confounding?; (3) damp environments, dilapidated buildings, recycling processes, and molds, an increasing problem: mechanisms, how to assess causality and diagnosis; (4) diagnosis of occupational asthma and rhinitis: how useful are recombinant allergens (component-resolved diagnosis), metabolomics, and other new tests?; (5) how does exposure to gas, dust, and fumes enhance sensitization and asthma?; and (6) how to determine probability of occupational causality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: epidemiological and clinical, confirmation, and compensation aspects. A summary of the presentations and discussion is provided in this proceedings document. Increased knowledge has been gained in each topic over the past few years, but there remain aspects of controversy and uncertainty requiring further research.

Development of a bar code-based exposure assessment method to evaluate occupational exposure to disinfectants and cleaning products: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE

Healthcare workers are highly exposed to various types of disinfectants and cleaning products. Assessment of exposure to these products remains a challenge. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of a method, based on a smartphone application and bar codes, to improve occupational exposure assessment among hospital/cleaning workers in epidemiological studies.

METHODS

A database of disinfectants and cleaning products used in French hospitals, including their names, bar codes and composition, was developed using several sources: ProdHyBase (a database of disinfectants managed by hospital hygiene experts), and specific regulatory agencies and industrial websites. A smartphone application has been created to scan bar codes of products and fill a short questionnaire. The application was tested in a French hospital. The ease of use and the ability to record information through this new approach were estimated.

RESULTS

The method was tested in a French hospital (7 units, 14 participants). Through the application, 126 records (one record referred to one product entered by one participant/unit) were registered, majority of which were liquids (55.5%) or sprays (23.8%); 20.6% were used to clean surfaces and 15.9% to clean toilets. Workers used mostly products with alcohol and quaternary ammonium compounds (>90% with weekly use), followed by hypochlorite bleach and hydrogen peroxide (28.6%). For most records, information was available on the name (93.7%) and bar code (77.0%). Information on product compounds was available for all products and recorded in the database.

CONCLUSION

This innovative and easy-to-use method could help to improve the assessment of occupational exposure to disinfectants/cleaning products in epidemiological studies.

Do chronic workplace irritant exposures cause asthma?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The present review summarizes the recent literature on the relation between chronic workplace irritant exposures and asthma, focusing on exposures of low to moderate levels. We discuss results from epidemiological surveys, potential biological mechanisms, and needs for further research. These aspects are largely illustrated by studies on exposure to cleaning products.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent results from nine population-based and workplace-based epidemiological studies, mostly cross-sectional, found an increased risk of both new-onset and work-exacerbated asthma among participants exposed to moderate level of irritants and/or cleaning products.

SUMMARY

Evidence of a causal effect of chronic workplace irritant exposure in new-onset asthma remains limited, mainly because of a lack of longitudinal studies and the difficulty to evaluate irritant exposures. However, recent epidemiological studies strengthen the evidence of an effect of chronic exposure to irritants in work-related asthma. The underlying mechanism remains unknown but may be related to oxidative stress, neurogenic inflammation and dual irritant and adjuvant effects. However, disentangling chronic irritant effects from either acute irritant-induced asthma or immunological low molecular weight agent-induced asthma is difficult for some agents. Further research is needed to improve assessment of irritant exposures and identify biomarkers.

Possible underestimations of risks for the environment due to unregulated emissions of biocides from households to wastewater

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of household products as possible sources of biocidal active substances in municipal wastewater and their regulation under the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) 528/2012. In 131 households, we investigated the prevalence of products used to control pests, washing and cleaning agents and select personal care products with high release to wastewater. Inventories of these products were established with the help of barcode scanning. All uses of biocidal active substances were evaluated regarding their assessment under the Biocidal Products Regulation. 2963 products were scanned in total, with 48% being washing and cleaning agents, 43% personal care products and 9% products used to control pests. Biocidal active substances were found in each household. These were observed primarily in washing and cleaning agents and personal care products (90%), while only a small percentage of the observations of biocidal active substances was in biocidal products. 64% of the observations of biocidal active substances were in applications that do not fall under the Biocidal Products Regulation and are thus not subject to its environmental risk assessment. This study shows clearly that risks for the environment are underestimated because unregulated emissions to wastewater occur. It demonstrates that there are gaps in the current chemical legislation that lead to a release of substances into wastewater that were not subject to environmental risk assessment under the Biocidal Products Regulation. This is one example of the limitations of scientific risk assessment of chemicals - its complexity is immense. From our point of view, the results underline the importance of a sustainable use of the substances as this is the only way to decrease yet unidentified risks.

Exploring Global Exposure Factors Resources for Use in Consumer Exposure Assessments

This publication serves as a global comprehensive resource for readers seeking exposure factor data and information relevant to consumer exposure assessment. It describes the types of information that may be found in various official surveys and online and published resources. The relevant exposure factors cover a broad range, including general exposure factor data found in published compendia and databases and resources about specific exposure factors, such as human activity patterns and housing information. Also included are resources on exposure factors related to specific types of consumer products and the associated patterns of use, such as for a type of personal care product or a type of children’s toy. Further, a section on using exposure factors for designing representative exposure scenarios is included, along with a look into the future for databases and other exposure science developments relevant for consumer exposure assessment.

Self-reported Lupus flare: Association with everyday home and personal product exposure

BACKGROUND

The number of chemicals in household products has driven concern about potential adverse health through their use. Most research concentrates on product chemicals with reproductive and carcinogenic consequences, however some evidence exists that immune effects can lead to exacerbation of autoimmune illnesses such as lupus (SLE).

OBJECTIVES

This paper examines household and personal product exposure patterns in a pilot case/control study of female Australians. We also examined associations between common product exposure and SLE symptom exacerbation over a year period.

METHODS

We enrolled 41 control and 80 SLE participants aged 18-80 years. Qualitative techniques of structured interview and thematic analysis retrospectively explored patterns of product use, and flare history data of SLE participants. Negative binomial regression models explored associations between self-reported flare (SRF) days and exposure to 34 common home product groups.

RESULTS

Mean product counts did not differ between participant groups (mean 33.1: SD 11.8), or flare groups (flare mean 32.6:SD 12, no-flare 31.8:SD 6.6). Products used for personal hygiene and general house cleaning were most frequently used.Significant association with increased SRF day relative risk (IRR) was seen for bath oil use (IRR 1.008, CI 1.00-1.02). Paradoxical "protective" effects, (reduced SRF days) were found for cleansing beauty (IRR 0.999, CI 0.998-0.999), make-up (IRR 0.998, CI 0.997-0.999); adhesives (IRR 0.994, CI 0.991-0.997) and paint (IRR 0.99, CI 0.986-0.995).

CONCLUSIONS

Everyday product exposures can impact on symptom exacerbation in SLE. Some offering protection and others increased health risk. Identifying environmental associations offer the possibility of life-style interventions to reduce illness impact.

Estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activity of off-the-shelf hair and skin care products

Use of personal care products is widespread in the United States but tends to be greater among African Americans than whites. Of special concern is the possible hazard of absorption of chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA) or anti-EA (AEA) in these products. Such exposure may have adverse health effects, especially when it occurs during developmental windows (e.g., prepubertally) when estrogen levels are low. We assessed the ethanol extracts of eight commonly used hair and skin products popular among African Americans for EA and AEA using a cell proliferation assay with the estrogen sensitive MCF-7:WS8 cell line derived from a human breast cancer. Four of the eight personal care products tested (Oil Hair Lotion, Extra-dry Skin Lotion, Intensive Skin Lotion, Petroleum Jelly) demonstrated detectable EA, whereas three (Placenta Hair Conditioner, Tea-Tree Hair Conditioner, Cocoa Butter Skin Cream) exhibited AEA. Our data indicate that hair and skin care products can have EA or AEA, and suggest that laboratory studies are warranted to investigate the in vivo activity of such products under chronic exposure conditions as well as epidemiologic studies to investigate potential adverse health effects that might be associated with use of such products.

Assessing exposure of young children to common endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the home environment: a review and commentary of the questionnaire-based approach

BACKGROUND

Although infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure, there is an absence of comprehensive exposure data for this age group. As young children spend the majority of their time indoors, improved methods of exposure assessment are needed to characterise the health risks from exposures in the home environment. Biologic assessment, which has been considered the gold standard for exposure assessment in recent years, is difficult to conduct in young children. Questionnaires are an alternative and indirect method of predicting exposure, which may overcome some of the limitations of direct exposure assessment.

RESEARCH PROBLEM

The feasibility of using a questionnaire-based approach to predict exposure of young children to EDCs in the home has yet to be comprehensively reviewed. Moreover, there is no one questionnaire that has been validated for predicting the exposure of infants to common EDCs in the home.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this review is to discuss the use and validation of the questionnaire-based approach to predict exposure of children to chemicals from three common classes of EDCs in the home, namely, plasticisers, flame retardants, and insecticides. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the questionnaire-based approach as well as the important pathways of exposure in the home environment, by which to guide the design and validation of future exposure questionnaires.

RESULTS

The findings from our review indicate that the questionnaire-based approach is a valuable tool in the prediction of exposure to persistent organic pollutants, as well as to toxicants that have consistent patterns of exposure. With improvements to the design and validation process, the questionnaire-based approach may also prove to be a reliable instrument in predicting exposure to EDCs with short-half lives, including bisphenol A, phthalates, and pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides.

SHEDS-HT: an integrated probabilistic exposure model for prioritizing exposures to chemicals with near-field and dietary sources

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) researchers are developing a strategy for high-throughput (HT) exposure-based prioritization of chemicals under the ExpoCast program. These novel modeling approaches for evaluating chemicals based on their potential for biologically relevant human exposures will inform toxicity testing and prioritization for chemical risk assessment. Based on probabilistic methods and algorithms developed for The Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Model for Multimedia, Multipathway Chemicals (SHEDS-MM), a new mechanistic modeling approach has been developed to accommodate high-throughput (HT) assessment of exposure potential. In this SHEDS-HT model, the residential and dietary modules of SHEDS-MM have been operationally modified to reduce the user burden, input data demands, and run times of the higher-tier model, while maintaining critical features and inputs that influence exposure. The model has been implemented in R; the modeling framework links chemicals to consumer product categories or food groups (and thus exposure scenarios) to predict HT exposures and intake doses. Initially, SHEDS-HT has been applied to 2507 organic chemicals associated with consumer products and agricultural pesticides. These evaluations employ data from recent USEPA efforts to characterize usage (prevalence, frequency, and magnitude), chemical composition, and exposure scenarios for a wide range of consumer products. In modeling indirect exposures from near-field sources, SHEDS-HT employs a fugacity-based module to estimate concentrations in indoor environmental media. The concentration estimates, along with relevant exposure factors and human activity data, are then used by the model to rapidly generate probabilistic population distributions of near-field indirect exposures via dermal, nondietary ingestion, and inhalation pathways. Pathway-specific estimates of near-field direct exposures from consumer products are also modeled. Population dietary exposures for a variety of chemicals found in foods are combined with the corresponding chemical-specific near-field exposure predictions to produce aggregate population exposure estimates. The estimated intake dose rates (mg/kg/day) for the 2507 chemical case-study spanned 13 orders of magnitude. SHEDS-HT successfully reproduced the pathway-specific exposure results of the higher-tier SHEDS-MM for a case-study pesticide and produced median intake doses significantly correlated (p<0.0001, R2=0.39) with medians inferred using biomonitoring data for 39 chemicals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Based on the favorable performance of SHEDS-HT with respect to these initial evaluations, we believe this new tool will be useful for HT prediction of chemical exposure potential.

Personal care product use and urinary phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations during pregnancy among women from a fertility clinic

Parabens and phthalates are potential endocrine disruptors frequently used in personal care/beauty products, and the developing fetus may be sensitive to these chemicals. We measured urinary butyl-paraben (BP), methyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), and monoethyl phthalate (MEP) concentrations up to three times in 177 pregnant women from a fertility clinic in Boston, MA. Using linear mixed models, we examined the relationship between self-reported personal care product use in the previous 24 h and urinary paraben and phthalate metabolite concentrations. Lotion, cosmetic, and cologne/perfume use were associated with the greatest increases in the molar sum of phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations, although the magnitude of individual biomarker increases varied by product used. For example, women who used lotion had BP concentrations 111% higher (95% confidence interval (CI): 41%, 216%) than non-users, whereas their MBP concentrations were only 28% higher (CI: 2%, 62%). Women using cologne/perfume had MEP concentrations 167% (CI: 98%, 261%) higher than non-users, but BP concentrations were similar. We observed a monotonic dose-response relationship between the total number of products used and urinary paraben and phthalate metabolite concentrations. These results suggest that questionnaire data may be useful for assessing exposure to a mixture of chemicals from personal care products during pregnancy.

Cleaning sprays, household help and asthma among elderly women

OBJECTIVE

There is increasing evidence on the deleterious role in asthma of the use of household cleaning products in spray forms in adults. Household help might induce misclassification errors. The aim of the present analysis was to study associations between household exposure to cleaning sprays and current asthma in elderly women, taking into account household help.

METHODS

A nested case-control survey on respiratory health was undertaken among a random sample of French women from the E3N study. Data were available for 570 women (235 with current asthma and 335 without asthma history; 68 years old on average, 59% never smokers). Three estimates of domestic exposure were used: 1) self-reported, 2) using principal component analysis, 3) a composite score for sprays. Associations between domestic exposures and asthma were assessed by logistic regression, adjusted for age, educational level, BMI and smoking status. Analyses were further stratified on household help in order to evaluate a potential misclassification bias.

RESULTS

Among women without household help (n = 325), a significant association was observed between weekly use of at least one spray and current asthma (OR [95% CI]: 1.86[1.04-3.33]). No association was observed among women with household help.

CONCLUSIONS

Weekly household use of cleaning sprays may have a deleterious effect on asthma. It is important to take into account household help to limit misclassification bias.

Environment and asthma in adults

The present review addresses recent advances and especially challenging aspects regarding the role of environmental risk factors in adult-onset asthma, for which the causes are poorly established. In the first part of the review, we discuss aspects regarding some environmental risk factors for adult-onset asthma: air pollution, occupational exposures with a focus on an emerging risk represented by exposure to cleaning agents (both at home and in the workplace), and lifestyle and nutrition. The second part is focused on perspectives and challenges, regarding relevant topics on which research is needed to improve the understanding of the role of environmental factors in asthma. Aspects of exposure assessment, the complexity of multiple exposures, the interrelationships of the environment with behavioral characteristics and the importance of studying biological markers and gene-environment interactions to identify the role of the environment in asthma are discussed. We conclude that environmental and lifestyle exposures play an important role in asthma or related phenotypes. The changes in lifestyle and the environment in recent decades have modified the specific risk factors in asthma even for well-recognized risks such as occupational exposures. To better understand the role of the environment in asthma, the use of objective (quantitative measurement of exposures) or modern tools (bar code, GPS) and the development of multidisciplinary collaboration would be very promising. A better understanding of the complex interrelationships between socio-economic, nutritional, lifestyle and environmental conditions might help to study their joint and independent roles in asthma.

Usage patterns of personal care products: important factors for exposure assessment

Complete information regarding the use of personal care products (PCPs) by consumers is limited, but such information is crucial for realistic consumer exposure assessment. To fill this gap, a database was created with person-oriented information regarding usage patterns and circumstances of use for 32 different PCPs. Out of 2700 potential participants from the Netherlands, 516 men and women completed a digital questionnaire. The prevalence of use varied by gender, age, level of education and skin type. A high frequency of use was observed for some products (e.g. lip care products), while toothpaste, deodorant and day cream were generally used once or twice a day. The frequency of use for other PCPs varied over a wide range. The amounts of use varied largely between and within different product groups. Body lotion, sunscreen and after sun lotion were often applied on adjacent body parts. The majority of PCPs were applied in the morning, but some products, such as night cream and after sun, were predominantly applied in the evening or night. As expected, the participants used several PCPs simultaneously. The database yields important personalized exposure factors which can be used in aggregate consumer exposure assessment for substances that are components of PCPs.