Occupational exposure to traditional and emerging organophosphate esters: A comparison of levels across different sources and blood distribution

Jingren Cui; Yanhui Ge; Meiqi Guo; Lianying Zhang; Shaohan Zhang; Leicheng Zhao; Yumeng Shi; Mujtaba Baqar; Yiming Yao; Hongkai Zhu; Lei Wang; Zhipeng Cheng; Hongwen Sun

Environment International (Dec 2024)

Occupational exposure to traditional and emerging organophosphate esters: A comparison of levels across different sources and blood distribution

Jingren Cui,
Yanhui Ge,
Meiqi Guo,
Lianying Zhang,
Shaohan Zhang,
Leicheng Zhao,
Yumeng Shi,
Mujtaba Baqar,
Yiming Yao,
Hongkai Zhu,
Lei Wang,
Zhipeng Cheng,
Hongwen Sun

Affiliations

Jingren Cui: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
Yanhui Ge: School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
Meiqi Guo: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Lianying Zhang: School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
Shaohan Zhang: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Leicheng Zhao: School of Environment, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China
Yumeng Shi: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Mujtaba Baqar: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Sustainable Development Study Centre, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Yiming Yao: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Hongkai Zhu: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Lei Wang: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Zhipeng Cheng: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Corresponding author.
Hongwen Sun: MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 194
p. 109165

Abstract

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Currently, there is limited knowledge regarding occupational exposure of traditional and emerging organophosphate esters (OPEs) from e-waste and automobile dismantling activities, and their distribution within the human blood. In the present study, we collected dust and urine samples from e-waste (ED) (n = 91 and 130, respectively) and automobile dismantling (AD) plants (n = 93 and 94, respectively), as well as serum-plasma-whole blood samples (sets from 128 participants) within ED areas for analyzing traditional and emerging organophosphate tri-esters (tri-OPEs) and organophosphate di-esters (di-OPEs). Median concentration of ∑tri-OPEs and ∑di-OPEs in dust (37,400 and 9,000 ng/g in ED, and 27,000 and 14,700 ng/g in AD areas, respectively) and urine samples (11.8 and 21.9 ng/mL in ED areas, and 17.2 and 15.0 ng/mL in AD areas, respectively) indicated that both e-waste and automobile dismantling activities served as important pollution source for OPEs. Dust ingestion has been evidenced to be the main exposure pathway compared to dermal absorption and inhalation. The median concentration (ng/mL) of OPEs in blood matrices descended order as follow: whole blood (13.1) > serum (11.6) > plasma (10.4) for ∑tri-OPEs, and plasma (3.51) > serum (0.36) > whole blood (0.23) for ∑di-OPEs. Concentration ratios of OPEs varied across blood matrices, depending on the compounds, suggesting that the essentiality of appropriate biomonitoring matrix for conducting comprehensive exposure assessments.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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