Health Risk Assessment of Personal Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds in Tianjin, China

Abstract

PP-29-009 Background/Aims: Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can induce a range of adverse human health effects, and draw considerable concern in exposure science. To date, however, personal VOCs exposure and residential indoor and outdoor VOCs levels have not been characterized in the mainland of China, less is known about health risk of personal exposure to VOCs. Methods: In this study, a pilot study was conducted to assess personal exposure to VOCs, and US Environmental Protection Agencys unit risk value was used to assess the inhalation caner health risk. To assess uncertainty of health risk estimate, the Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis were implemented using Crystal Ball 7.2 software. Personal exposure to 10 VOCs was measured, and simultaneously compared with residential indoor and outdoor VOCs concentrations, workplace and vehicle microenvironment concentrations in Tianjin, China. All VOCs samples were collected using passive samplers for 5 days, and were analyzed using Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer. Results: As expected for most of the VOC, personal exposures were greater than residential Indoor concentrations, with the exception of carbon tetrachloride. Results of exposure assessment show modeled and measured concentrations are statistically lineally correlated for all VOCs (P < 0.01), except chloroform. According to the risk assessment results, benzene, chloroform, 1,3-Butadiene presented the highest cancer risks of 52, 21 per 1 million population based on personal exposure, respectively. The average cumulative cancer risk based on personal exposure was approximately 78 per million, followed by indoor exposure (57 per million). Conclusion: Accurate exposure estimates are critical inputs to risk assessment in evaluating the severity and probability of health impact. The combination of personal exposure monitoring and risk assessment would possibly reduce some of the current uncertainty associated with risk estimates.