Linking the Use of Scented Consumer Products to Consumer Exposure to Polycyclic Musk Fragrances

Abstract

Summary Synthetic organic chemicals are ingredients of many consumer products used daily. Consumers are therefore constantly exposed to a broad spectrum of synthetic organic chemicals, which might be irritants or have other effects harmful to human health, in the consumption phase of the product life cycle. Relevant examples are the polycyclic musk fragrances that make up an important group of synthetic fragrance compounds. Using a scenario‐based approach, we simulate various product uses and calculate the resulting dermal exposure to the musk fragrances 6‐acetyl‐1,1,2,4,4,7‐hexamethyltetraline and hexahydro‐hexamethyl‐cyclopenta (γ)‐2‐benzopyran for a wide spectrum of consumer products. The product spectrum was selected from scented personal care products and household cleansing agents. Exposure to musk fragrances is calculated with two dermal exposure models, and results are presented for female and male European consumers. The variability of required inputs is accounted for by assuming minimal, average or median, and maximal values for important model parameters. The study identifies a limited number of types of scented consumer products as significantly contributing to daily dermal consumer exposure to musk fragrances. Exposure levels resulting from the simultaneous use of these products and the number of exposed consumers are investigated.

Determining source strength of semivolatile organic compounds using measured concentrations in indoor dust

“…Thus, for compounds within one of the lower two ranges, we used the geometric mean of the endpoints of the range, and for chemical concentrations >1000 lg/g, we used the geometric mean (3162 lg/g) between 1000 and 10,000 lg/g, acknowledging that this assumption might result in over-or under-estimation of chemical concentrations in the products. We estimated the average daily application rate of personal care products from five published studies (Hall et al, 2007;Loretz et al, 2006Loretz et al, , 2008Neale et al, 2002;Wormuth et al, 2005) (see Table S8). We applied the retention factor of personal care products from Wormuth et al (2005) (see Table S8).…”

“…Consumer products and building materials emit phthalates, pesticides, flame retardants, and other personal care product ingredients such as synthetic musk and sun-blocking agents in indoor environments (Rudel et al, 2003;Wormuth et al, 2005Wormuth et al, , 2006. Exposure to many of these compounds results in adverse health effects, including asthma and endocrine disruption (Dodson et al, 2012).…”

Assessments of Direct Human Exposure—The Approach of EU Risk Assessments Compared to Scenario‐Based Risk Assessment

“…( 35 ) The data provided with this project may be combined with additional data on the behavior patterns of European consumers. Also, other compilations of exposure‐relevant information from European sources have been presented, ( 10,11,36–39 ) and these and similar approaches should be further supported. An extensive European set of exposure‐relevant data, similar to that of the Exposure Factors Handbook provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ( 40 ) is much needed.…”

Synthetic Musk Fragrances in a Conventional Drinking Water Treatment Plant with Lime Softening

“…Their presence was first detected in the environment in 1981 (2) and they have since been detected in nearly all environmental compartments including water (2–6,7,8,9), air (10–12), sediment (4,6,13,14), aquatic organisms (15–18), and humans (15,19,20). They are released into the environment almost entirely as a result of wastewater discharges (18,21–27).…”

“…Although the main human exposure route for fragrances appears to be through frequent use of scented products (19,20), other routes such as the consumption of contaminated drinking water are likely. The objectives of this study were to quantify the removal and partitioning of eight synthetic fragrance compounds during conventional drinking water treatment with lime softening.…”