Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul 03087, Korea.
Environmental Safety Group, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
Molecules. 2020 Jul 21;25(14):3301. doi: 10.3390/molecules25143301.
The use of humidifier disinfectant (HD) has been determined to be associated with lung injuries (HDLI) in Korea. Although HD brands containing polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) oligomers have been found to cause more HDLI compared to brands containing other disinfectants, the physicochemical properties of PHMG have been poorly defined. We aimed to quantify the PHMG dissolved in HD brands, characterize the number-average () and weight-average () molecular masses, and identify the polymerization degree of PHMG. Analysis of the PHMG oligomers was performed using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) operated in positive-ion reflectron mode. Eight brands of HD containing PHMG were identified. The PHMG concentrations in these brands ranged from 160 to 37,200 ppm (mean = 3100.9 ppm). Concentration was a significant variable among and within HD brands. The degree of PHMG oligomerization fell within the range of two to four. The averages of and were 517.2 g/mol (range: 422-613 g/mol) and 537.3 g/mol (range: 441.0-678.0 g/mol), respectively. Based on the average molecular weight and the degree of polymerization, the PHMG examined here could be regarded as oligomers, which may be associated with the highest proportion of HDLI being caused by PHMG.
加湿器消毒剂（HD）的使用已被确定与韩国的肺损伤（HDLI）有关。虽然含有聚六亚甲基胍（PHMG）低聚物的 HD 品牌被发现比含有其他消毒剂的品牌更容易引起 HDLI，但 PHMG 的物理化学性质尚未得到很好的定义。我们的目的是定量测定 HD 品牌中溶解的 PHMG，表征数均（）和重均（）分子量，并确定 PHMG 的聚合度。使用基质辅助激光解吸/电离飞行时间质谱仪（MALDI-TOF MS）以正离子反射模式进行 PHMG 低聚物分析。鉴定了含有 PHMG 的八种 HD 品牌。这些品牌中的 PHMG 浓度范围为 160 至 37200ppm（平均值=3100.9ppm）。浓度是 HD 品牌之间和内部的显著变量。PHMG 低聚物的聚合度在 2 到 4 之间。和的平均值分别为 517.2g/mol（范围：422-613g/mol）和 537.3g/mol（范围：441.0-678.0g/mol）。根据平均分子量和聚合度，这里检查的 PHMG 可以被认为是低聚物，这可能与 PHMG 引起的 HDLI 最高比例有关。
