Estimation of the French population’s exposure to chloroform in drinking water systems
The disinfection of drinking water with chlorine can lead to the formation of potentially carcinogenic and reprotoxic byproducts, of which chloroform is the primary example. This study estimates the exposure of two French populations (adults and pregnant women) to chloroform derived exclusively from tap water. Exposure was estimated for adults and pregnant women consuming water from the treatment plants selected for the study (95 plants). The three possible routes of exposure (oral, inhalation, dermal) were considered in the following exposure scenarios: drinking water consumption, showering, and bathing. The morphological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics of the populations are derived from French or American surveys. Chloroform concentrations in water are sourced from the SISE-eaux database. Chloroform concentrations in the air are estimated based on experimental studies. Oral exposure doses were estimated by taking into account the total volume of water ingested (cold water, heated water for drinking or cooking) and the effect of water temperature on chloroform concentrations. In calculating dermal exposure, an internal dose was estimated using Fick’s first law and then converted to a virtually inhaled concentration. Subsequently, this concentration was added to the concentration absorbed via inhalation to establish a daily exposure concentration that incorporates both oral and inhalation exposures. According to the exposure scenarios, adults at the 95 study sites ingest between 6.6 × 10⁻² μg/kg/day and 6.8 × 10⁻¹ μg/kg/day of chloroform daily, and pregnant women between 1.2 × 10⁻¹ μg/kg/day and 2.9 μg/kg/day. Daily exposure concentrations range from 1.2 μg/m³ to 13.3 μg/m³ for adults and from 1.2 μg/m³ to 45.6 μg/m³ for pregnant women. Furthermore, the results clearly show that dermal exposure cannot be disregarded compared to inhalation exposure. The main uncertainties in the proposed method concern the estimation of chloroform concentrations in the air and the estimation of dermal exposure.
Author(s): Jabbour V, Mouly D, Beaudeau P, Dor F
Publishing year: 2007
Pages: 289-300
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