Wang Shi-Yuan, Hua Kai, He Jia-Hao, Gao Ke, Lu Li-Ping
Department of Environmental Science,Beijing University of Technology,Key Laboratory of Beijing on Regional Air Pollution Control,Beijing 100124,China.
Se Pu. 2025 Oct;43(10):1127-1135. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1123.2025.03021.
Fluorinated liquid crystal monomers (FLCMs) are the most widely used materials in liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturing. They can be released into environmental media during production, use, and disposal, and are recognized as a class of novel persistent organic pollutants. Contamination of FLCMs in indoor dust is closely linked to human health; however, existing research has yet to fully elucidate their occurrence characteristics and population-differentiated health risks within this medium. This study analyzed the occurrence characteristics of FLCMs in dust from five indoor environments (laboratories, dormitories, classrooms, print shops, and cafeterias) using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF MS). Population-differentiated health risks were further evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that the total contents of 20 target FLCMs ranged from 3.68 to 593 ng/g (median: 85.1 ng/g). Print shops exhibited the highest ∑FLCMs contents (206-593 ng/g), followed by laboratories (89.0-219 ng/g) and classrooms (28.4-137 ng/g). This differential distribution was closely associated with the number and types of electronic devices, ventilation conditions, and indoor cleaning frequency. The health risk assessment indicated that 4-[difluoro(3,4,5-trifluorophenoxy)methyl]-3,5-difluoro-4'-propylbiphenyl (tFPO-CF2-dF3B), and 4-[-4-(-4-ethylcyclohexyl)cyclohexyl]-1-trifluoromethoxybenzene (2bcHtFMeOP) pose a higher health risk (hazard quotient (HQ)>1.00×10) than the other FLCMs, which is probably result of their higher fugitive contents as well as higher autotoxicity. Print stores had the highest hazard index (HI) for all age groups (median HI range: 1.88×10-1.60×10), which was 2-6 times higher than other sites. Population difference analysis reveals that minors (especially infants and young children) are more sensitive to indoor dust FLCMs exposure, which may be due to the high exposure rate of infants and young children caused by their crawling, playing, and hand mouth contact on the ground. In addition, the results indicate that the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of elderly people (>60 years old) is higher than that of the 18-45 and 45-60 age groups, which may be related to their longer indoor exposure time and lower cleaning frequency due to their limited mobility. It is worth noting that in the college environment group (18-45 years old), although the exposure risk in this age group is lower than that of the sensitive population mentioned above, the related health risks cannot be ignored. In addition, it was found that the exposure risk of women in this group was slightly higher than that of men, which may be because women usually spend more time indoors and have a higher frequency of exposure. This study fills the gaps in the occurrence characteristics of FLCMs in indoor dust and population differentiated health risk assessment, providing comprehensive and detailed data support for the control and management of FLCMs pollution.
氟化液晶单体(FLCMs)是液晶显示器(LCD)制造中使用最广泛的材料。它们在生产、使用和处置过程中会释放到环境介质中,被公认为一类新型持久性有机污染物。室内灰尘中FLCMs的污染与人类健康密切相关;然而,现有研究尚未充分阐明其在该介质中的存在特征和人群差异化健康风险。本研究采用全二维气相色谱-飞行时间质谱联用技术(GC×GC-TOF MS)分析了五个室内环境(实验室、宿舍、教室、印刷店和食堂)灰尘中FLCMs的存在特征。通过蒙特卡罗模拟进一步评估了人群差异化健康风险。结果表明,20种目标FLCMs的总含量在3.68至593 ng/g之间(中位数:85.1 ng/g)。印刷店的∑FLCMs含量最高(206 - 593 ng/g),其次是实验室(89.0 - 219 ng/g)和教室(28.4 - 137 ng/g)。这种差异分布与电子设备的数量和类型、通风条件以及室内清洁频率密切相关。健康风险评估表明,4-[二氟(3,4,5-三氟苯氧基)甲基]-3,5-二氟-4'-丙基联苯(tFPO-CF2-dF3B)和4-[-4-(-4-乙基环己基)环己基]-1-三氟甲氧基苯(2bcHtFMeOP)比其他FLCMs具有更高的健康风险(危害商(HQ)>1.00×10),这可能是由于它们较高的逸散含量以及较高的自身毒性。印刷店在所有年龄组中的危害指数(HI)最高(中位数HI范围:1.88×10 - 1.60×10),比其他场所高2至6倍。人群差异分析表明,未成年人(尤其是婴幼儿)对室内灰尘中FLCMs暴露更为敏感,这可能是由于婴幼儿爬行、玩耍以及手与地面接触导致的高暴露率。此外,结果表明老年人(>60岁)的估计每日摄入量(EDIs)高于18 - 45岁和45 - 60岁年龄组,这可能与他们由于行动不便导致的较长室内暴露时间和较低清洁频率有关。值得注意的是,在大学环境组(18 - 45岁)中,尽管该年龄组的暴露风险低于上述敏感人群,但相关健康风险也不容忽视。此外,发现该组中女性的暴露风险略高于男性,这可能是因为女性通常在室内花费更多时间且暴露频率更高。本研究填补了室内灰尘中FLCMs存在特征和人群差异化健康风险评估的空白,为FLCMs污染的控制和管理提供了全面详细的数据支持。