Complex Mixtures of Chlorinated Paraffins Found in Hand Wipes of a Norwegian Cohort

Abstract

Up to 18000 ng of total chlorinated paraffins (CPs) was found in hand wipes of individual adult participants in a Norwegian cohort study ( n = 60), with a geometric mean (SD) value of 870 (2700) ng. The CPs covered a wide range of alkane chain lengths from C 7 to C 48 with variable chlorine substitution. Complex mixtures of very-short-chain (vSCCPs, C <10 ), short-chain (SCCPs, C 10–13 ), medium-chain (MCCPs, C 14–17 ), and long-chain (LCCPs, C >17 ) CPs were found, contributing on average 0.3%, 20%, 58%, and 22%, respectively, of the total CPs. Significant positive correlations were found between CP levels and factors related to the indoor environment and product use, including living in a house/apartment built before the ban of SCCPs, having a sofa, the number of TVs in the home, and owning a car, which mirrors CP usage as flame retardants and/or plasticizers in consumer products. Compared to previous studies of other organic contaminants in hand wipe samples from the same cohort, CPs were the most abundant flame retardants. This is the first report of CPs in hand wipes, and dermal exposure based on these data suggested that hand contact could be an important human exposure pathway for LCCPs.

Human Exposure to Chlorinated Paraffins via Inhalation and Dust Ingestion in a Norwegian Cohort

“… 68 Similarly, CPs were found to be the most abundant flame retardants in the hand wipes of the same cohort. 53 …”

“… 61 Quantification of S/M/LCCPs of all samples fulfilled the criterion of R 2 ≥ 0.50 ( Table S2 ), 56 which suggested a mean deviation of concentration less than 40%. 53 The results with R 2 < 0.5 were reported as tentative values. 48 For quantification of vSCCPs, the R 2 ranged from 0.16 to 0.99 (median: 0.72; Table S3 ).…”

Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Polyvinylchloride and Rubber Consumer Products and Toys Purchased on the Belgian Market

“…Exposure via this pathway is extremely difficult to evaluate because both compound migration from materials and dermal absorption rates must be considered. While absorption characteristics for CPs have not yet been determined, Yuan et al [51] developed a model for CP exposure via hands using the USEPA's Exposure Factors Handbook [52] and earlier ex vivo studies of halogenated flame retardant (HFR) uptake [53]. Based on CP measurements in hand wipes from 60 participants, the median daily exposure to SCCPs and MCCPs was estimated to be 3.6 and 11 ng/kg body weight via the skin of hands alone.…”

Congener-specific partition properties of chlorinated paraffins evaluated with COSMOtherm and gas chromatographic retention indices

“…We note that studies have shown that the current analytical standards often include chlorine substitution patterns that are not commonly present in technical mixtures. For example, triple-chlorine substitution at the terminal carbon atom (e.g., 1,1,1,3,9,10,10,10-C 10 Cl 7 ) is usually not found in technical mixtures and environmental samples 12 . A more distributed chlorination pattern (e.g., 2,5,6,9-C 10 Cl 4 , 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-C 10 Cl 8 ) may have higher relevance, although the availability of such standards is limited.…”