School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 15;908:168328. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168328. Epub 2023 Nov 4.
In indoor environments, liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) released from display devices is a significant concern, necessitating a comprehensive investigation into their distribution behaviors and potential health risks. Herein, we examined various LCMs in educational and workplace air and compared their associated health risks through inhalation and dermal absorption routes. 4-propyl-4'-vinylbicyclohexyl (3VbcH) and 4,4'-bis(4-propylcyclohexyl) biphenyl (b3CHB) with median concentrations of 101 and 1460 pg m, were the predominant LCMs in gaseous and particulate phases, respectively. Composition and concentration of LCMs differed substantially between sampling locations due to the discrepancy in the quantity, types, and brands of electronic devices in each location. Three models were further employed to estimate the gas-particle partitioning of LCMs and compared with the measured data. The results indicated that the HB model exhibited the best overall performance, while the LMY model provided a good fit for LCMs with higher log K (>12.48). Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate and compared the probabilistic daily exposure dose and potential health risks. Inhalation exposure of LCMs was significantly greater than the dermal absorption by approximately 1-2 orders of magnitude, implying that it was the primary exposure route of human exposure to airborne LCMs. However, certain LCMs exhibited comparable or higher exposure levels via the dermal absorption route due to the significant overall permeability coefficient. Furthermore, the particle size was discovered to impact the daily exposure dose, contingent on the particle mass-transfer coefficients and accumulation of LCMs on diverse particle sizes. Although the probabilistic non-carcinogenic risks of LCMs were relatively low, their chronic effects on human beings merit further investigations. Overall, this study provides insights into the contamination and potential health risks of LCMs in indoor environments, underscoring the importance of considering particle sizes and all possible exposure pathways in estimating human health risks caused by airborne organic contaminants.
在室内环境中，来自显示设备的液晶单体（LCMs）是一个重要的关注点，需要对其分布行为和潜在健康风险进行全面调查。在此，我们检测了教育和工作场所空气中的各种 LCMs，并通过吸入和皮肤吸收途径比较了它们的相关健康风险。气态和颗粒相中浓度中位数分别为 101pg/m 和 1460pg/m 的 4-丙基-4'-乙烯基双环己基（3VbcH）和 4,4'-双（4-丙基环己基）联苯（b3CHB）是主要的 LCMs。由于每个地点的电子设备数量、类型和品牌存在差异，LCMs 的组成和浓度在采样地点之间存在显著差异。进一步采用三种模型来估算 LCMs 的气-粒分配，并与实测数据进行比较。结果表明，HB 模型的整体性能最佳，而 LMY 模型对 log K（>12.48）较高的 LCMs 拟合较好。采用蒙特卡罗模拟来估计和比较概率日暴露剂量和潜在健康风险。LCMs 的吸入暴露明显大于皮肤吸收，约为 1-2 个数量级，这意味着它是人体接触空气传播 LCMs 的主要暴露途径。然而，由于整体渗透率系数较大，某些 LCMs 通过皮肤吸收途径的暴露水平相当或更高。此外，发现粒径会影响日暴露剂量，这取决于粒径的颗粒传质系数和 LCMs 的积累。虽然 LCMs 的概率非致癌风险相对较低，但它们对人类的慢性影响值得进一步研究。总的来说，本研究提供了室内环境中 LCMs 污染和潜在健康风险的相关信息，强调了在估计空气传播有机污染物对人类健康风险时考虑粒径和所有可能的暴露途径的重要性。
