Per- and polyfluorinated compounds in saleswomen's urine linked to indoor dust in clothing shops.

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of typical per- and polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in indoor dust from clothing shops and urine sampled from saleswomen. A total of 58 indoor dust samples and 73 urine samples from saleswomen were collected from clothing shops in Shanghai, China. All samples were analyzed for PFCs using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The mean PFC concentrations in indoor dust ranged from 0.42 (PFDA) to 5.04 ng g (PFDoA). PFDoA and PFHxS were the most prominent PFCs, with median concentrations of 2.95 ng g and 1.49 ng g, respectively. The median PFC concentrations in urine ranged from 10.15 (PFDS) to 666.1 ng l (PFOA) and PFOA was the most abundant chemical with concentrations ranging from 207 to 907 ng l. A significant positive correlation was obtained between long-chain PFCs in dust and in urine (p < 0.01). Daily intake values of PFCs via dust ingestion were also calculated, and even under high-end exposure scenarios, the intake of PFOA (36.5 pg day) and PFOS (56.7 pg day) were well within the tolerable daily intake values. These results are important to both characterize PFC levels and estimate the saleswomen's exposure to PFCs from indoor dust.