101. Assessment of exposure of children swimmers to trihalomethanes in an indoor swimming pool
- Author
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Xiaoshuang Wang and Shaoxia Dong
- Subjects
Microbiology (medical) ,China ,Total risk ,Adolescent ,0208 environmental biotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Risk Assessment ,01 natural sciences ,Toxicology ,Shower ,Swimming Pools ,Skin surface ,Humans ,Medicine ,Child ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Swimming ,Rest time ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,Inhalation exposure ,Inhalation Exposure ,Inhalation ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Environmental Exposure ,Hazard index ,020801 environmental engineering ,Infectious Diseases ,Child, Preschool ,Room air distribution ,Chloroform ,business ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Trihalomethanes - Abstract
This study aimed to understand the exposure levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) in an indoor swimming pool and calculate the risks of exposure to THMs, based on the presence of each THM species, of children swimmers aged 6–17, in Beijing, China. We obtained exposure factors for the children through questionnaires and measured THM concentrations through laboratory tests, and we combined the results with an exposure model to calculate the risks, with consideration of different exposure routes (oral ingestion, inhalation and dermal absorption). In terms of exposure factors for the swimmers aged 6–17, the average body weight, exposure duration, exposure frequency, swimming time, shower time, changing time, warm-up exercise and rest time, skin surface area and ingestion rate of pool water were 40.46 kg, 2.70 years, 96 events/year, 64.03 min/event, 17.04 min/event, 15.31 min/event, 12.71 min/event, 1.37 m2 and 48.93 ml/event, respectively. The THM concentrations in swimming pool water, shower water, swimming pool air and locker room air were 67.17 μg/L, 12.64 μg/L, 358.66 μg/m3 and 40.98 μg/m3, respectively. The average cancer risk of THMs was 5.44 × 10−6, which is an unacceptable risk according to the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Guidelines. The average hazard index was 0.007, i.e., less than 1, indicating that the noncancer risk was acceptable. Chloroform (TCM) was the main substance in four species of THMs and inhalation exposure was the main exposure pathway. The risk of cancer and noncancer from inhalation exposure to THMs accounts for 97–99% of the total risk. As a result, the disease control authorities and administrative department should pay attention to the health and safety of swimming facilities and, at the same time, establish standards for THMs in the air through further research.
- Published
- 2020
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