Ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposures to chloroform and trichloroethene from tap water.
Open accessAbstract
Individuals are exposed to volatile compounds present in tap water by ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption. Traditional risk assessments for water often only consider ingestion exposure to toxic chemicals, even though showering has been shown to increase the body burden of certain chemicals due to inhalation exposure and dermal absorption. We collected and analyzed time-series samples of expired alveolar breath to evaluate changes in concentrations of volatile organic compounds being expired, which reflects the rate of change in the bloodstream due to expiration, metabolism, and absorption into tissues. Analysis of chloroform and trichloethene in expired breath, compounds regulated in water, was also used to determine uptake from tap water by each route (inhalation, ingestion, or absorption). Each route of exposure contributed to the total exposure of these compounds from daily water use. Further, the ingestion dose was completely metabolized before entering the bloodstream, whereas the dose from the other routes was dispersed throughout the body. Thus, differences in potential biologically effective doses depend on route, target organ, and whether the contaminant or metabolite is the biologically active agent.
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Chlorinated compounds include relatively non-polar solvents that are also found in cleansing agents.
“Chlorinated compounds include relatively non-polar solvents that are also found in cleansing agents [70],”
From Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks (2021) · cites this paper as [70]
The discussion of tap-water contaminants (pp. 47–50) addresses exposure to chloroform and trichloroethene, but does not describe them as relatively non-polar solvents or say they are found in cleansing agents. Searches for those terms and for cleaning agents found no passage supporting that description; a reference to dry cleaners does not establish the claim. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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- Authors
- Weisel, C. P., & Jo, W. K.
- Affiliations
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 1996-01
- Volume
- 104
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 48-51
- ISSN
- 0091-6765 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-9924
- PMC
- PMC1469238
- OpenAlex
- W1971861957
- Cited by
- 177
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 4.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- Locations
- Environmental Health Perspectives (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Water Treatment and Disinfection
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Keywords
- chloroform, trichloroethylene, tap water, drinking water contaminants, oral exposure, inhalation exposure, percutaneous absorption, volatile organic compounds, biologically effective dose, human exposure assessment, metabolites, body burden
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Breath Tests, Chloroform, Drinking, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Respiration, Skin Absorption, Trichloroethylene, United States, Volatilization, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Supply
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