Lin Nan, Li Zengwei, Ding Ning, Park Sung Kyun, Batterman Stuart, Du Wei, Dai Jiayin, Zhu Ying
Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China.
Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Environ Health Perspect. 2025 Jun;133(6):67020. doi: 10.1289/EHP15418. Epub 2025 Jun 20.
An increasing number of studies have reported noteworthy health risks associated with dermal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from feminine hygiene products (FHPs).
This study sought to address the gap in understanding the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion dynamics of dermal exposure to VOCs from FHPs and to identify chemicals and products that could cause significant body burden.
We used measured contents of eight widely present VOCs across five categories of FHPs to estimate dermal exposure, and applied a physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) modeling approach to elucidate VOC toxicokinetics in human body tissues. Inhalation exposure estimates were derived from 20 air samples collected via passive sampling and analyzed using a thermal desorption system coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Predicted urinary VOC concentrations based on dermal and inhalation exposure were validated against 99 measurements from 25 females.
Via skin absorption, the estimated levels of most target VOCs in nearly all tissues, except adipose and the rest of the body, rapidly peaked within an hour of product use. Specifically, -cymene was estimated to reach in adipose tissue before decreasing over several hours due to efficient excretion pathways, including liver metabolism and exhalation. The model estimated that although the majority of absorbed VOCs (78.9%) were eliminated via liver metabolism, exhalation, and urine excretion, VOCs with higher than 3.5, such as -cymene, hexane, and -nonane, exhibited a potential cumulative trend in adipose tissue. This trend resulted in the estimated VOC concentrations in adipose tissue being 1 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than those estimated in other tissues. In certain cases, -nonane posed a potential noncancer risk (up to 0.07), and benzene presented a notable cancer risk (up to ), primarily attributed to washes and moisturizers, respectively.
These findings reveal potential significant body burden and health risks associated with dermal exposure to VOCs from FHPs, warranting further research and regulatory measures. Comprehensive assessment of internal exposure by integrating with toxicokinetic modeling to elucidate chemical distribution in various tissues is recommended, rather than by measuring only one type of biomarker, to illustrate exposure variances and ensure accurate risk assessment. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15418.
越来越多的研究报告称，皮肤接触女性卫生用品（FHPs）中的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）会带来显著的健康风险。
本研究旨在填补在了解皮肤接触FHPs中的VOCs的吸收、分布、代谢和排泄动态方面的空白，并识别可能导致体内负担过重的化学物质和产品。
我们利用在五类FHPs中广泛存在的八种VOCs的实测含量来估算皮肤接触量，并应用基于生理的毒代动力学（PBTK）建模方法来阐明VOCs在人体组织中的毒代动力学。吸入接触量估算值来自通过被动采样收集的20个空气样本，并使用与气相色谱 - 质谱联用的热解吸系统进行分析。基于皮肤和吸入接触量预测的尿中VOC浓度与25名女性的99次测量结果进行了验证。
通过皮肤吸收，几乎所有组织（除脂肪组织和身体其他部位外）中大多数目标VOCs的估计水平在产品使用后一小时内迅速达到峰值。具体而言，由于包括肝脏代谢和呼气在内的有效排泄途径，估计对伞花烃在脂肪组织中先达到[具体数值]，然后在数小时内下降。该模型估计，尽管大多数吸收的VOCs（78.9%）通过肝脏代谢、呼气和尿液排泄消除，但log Kow高于3.5的VOCs，如对伞花烃、己烷和壬烷，在脂肪组织中呈现出潜在的累积趋势。这种趋势导致脂肪组织中估计的VOC浓度比其他组织中估计的浓度高1至4个数量级。在某些情况下，壬烷带来潜在的非癌症风险（高达0.07），苯呈现出显著的癌症风险（高达[具体数值]），主要分别归因于洗液和保湿剂。
这些发现揭示了皮肤接触FHPs中的VOCs可能带来的显著体内负担和健康风险，需要进一步研究和监管措施。建议通过与毒代动力学建模相结合来全面评估内暴露，以阐明化学物质在各种组织中的分布，而不是仅测量一种生物标志物，以说明暴露差异并确保准确的风险评估。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15418 。
