Projects
On-going projects
In several case studies we assess consumer exposure to multi-use chemicals. We are using both deterministic and probabilistic modelling techniques. Furthermore, we have a cooperation project for the assessment of consumer behaviour and risk perception.
The main interest of this research is the determination of the dust contribution to the human exposure to artificial chemical substances, contained in various consumer products.
Humans are continuously exposed to semivolatile (sometimes even toxic) compounds (SVOCs), for instance, flame retardants and plasticizers, which occur as active ingredients in commercial products such as floor coverings, cleaning agents or personal care products. The association between SVOCs concentrations in human body and in the samples of air and dust is already proven statistically; however, the contribution of various exposure pathways is still unknown. It is suggested that exposure via dust could play a significant role for human exposure to SVOCs. However, it is still unknown for which compounds the exposure to dust has relative effect and on which factors does it depend.
In recent years, an alarming increase in allergic skin reactions to the preservative isothiazolinone MIT has been reported. Although a recommendation has been proposed to ban the use of MIT in some daily use cosmetics, it is not clear whether this reduction effectively prevents skin reactions. This is because isothazolinones are also used in many other consumer products, e.g. household cleaning products. To determine the adverse health risks to the consumer, in this project the realistic consumer exposure from all sources (aggregate exposure) is assessed.
This project is funded by and in close cooperation with the BAG (Federal Office of Public Health), Switzerland
Completed projects
The number of products with nanoscale materials is increasing steadily, especially (nano-)silver due to its antibacterial and antibiotic characteristics. However, nanosized particles exhibit different properties than the bulk form of the same substance, which has raised questions about nanoparticle toxicity in the last years. To address this concerns the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) funded this project to assess the total exposure of (Swiss) consumers to silver nanoparticles by combining data on sources with uptake data from literature.
Gerald Bachler, Natalie von Goetz
The NanoSpray project on the one hand focuses on the investigation of the release of nanoparticles from consumer spray products. Therefore an exposure-setup for a realistic spray scenario will be built up to measure concentration, particle size, particle size distribution and chemical composition of different nanoparticle-containing consumer sprays. On the other hand the project focuses on toxicity studies of these sprays.
Sabrina Losert, Andrea Ulrich (EMPA), Natalie von Goetz
Accurate evaluation of exposure to substances present in consumer products (e.g. cosmetics, household goods, etc.) is essential for further risk characterization and chemical safety assessments. Aggregation of exposure to individual substances from multiple sources via different routes is recognized to be of extreme importance when realistic exposure estimations are required. In our project we aim to evaluate a Tiered approach to aggregate consumer exposure modeling by inter-comparison of exposure levels calculated with different models of different complexity and requirements for description of input parameters. The substances we selected for our modeling case studies are:
- decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), a common emollient present almost uniquely in C&PCPs; and
- triclosan, an antimicrobial agent, which is widely used in production of household and cleaning products as well as in C&PCPs, finishing of kitchen utensils, sportswear, etc.
Selection criteria for the substances to be considered in the project were mainly based on the availability and robustness of relevant exposure data including its fully studied toxicity profile, biomonitoring records for various human matrices (e.g. blood, urine, breast milk), and of course its appropriateness and representativeness for consumer exposure assessment (i. e. suitability for ultimate characterization of consumer exposure). At later stages of the project rigorous evaluation of our modeled results against specific biomonitoring data will be performed to allow critical appraisal of the calculated exposure levels. For one of the selected substances a specifically tailored biomonitoring study will be conducted under controlled experimental conditions and a previously established PBPK model shall be used to compare experimental data to multi-source exposure calculations. In this process, the suitability of biomonitoring for validation of aggregate exposure modeling will be assessed.
Funding is provided by CEFIC LRI.
Tatsiana Dudzina, Natalie von Goetz
Human exposure to chemical UV filters via personal care products
A number of chemical ultraviolet (UV) filters are known or suspected endocrine disruptors. Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and octocrylene, both identified as estrogenic, belong to the most common UV-filters found in personal care products (PCPs) sold in Switzerland. An aggregate exposure should be calculated for substances that are used in many different PCPs causing single product exposures in the same order of magnitude. Aggregate UV filter exposure is especially important because throughout the last few decades there has been a pronounced increase in the daily co-use of several UV filter containing PCPs, in particular facial skin care (e.g. face creams) and lip care products. Therefore, we conducted a postal questionnaire survey to obtain the usage patterns and co-use of PCPs in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Based on the data collected, the most commonly used PCPs containing chemical UV filters were chosen and analyzed for their UV filter content. Aggregate exposure profiles of individual respondents will be calculated based on their questionnaire answers. Eventually, we aim to use biomonitoring data to validate and refine our questionnaire-based human exposure levels. We will also look for correlations between the calculated exposure levels and the socio-demographic data collected (age, gender, educational attainment and others).
This project is funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Eva Manová, Natalie von Goetz