Indoor pyrethroid exposure in homes with woollen textile floor coverings

Authors: Berger-Preiß E.¹; Levsen K.¹; Leng G.^{2, 3}; Idel H.²; Sugiri D.⁴; Ranft U.⁴

Source: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Volume 205, Number 6, October 2002 , pp. 459-472(14)

Publisher: Urban & Fischer

Abstract:

In order to investigate human's exposure to permethrin from treated woollen textile floor coverings and possible adverse health effects, a study was carried out in 80 private homes in Hannover (Germany) equipped with woollen textile floor coverings (wool wall-to-wall carpets or woven or knotted rugs). For indoor monitoring, permethrin was determined both in house dust and on suspended particles. While permethrin concentrations in house dust (<2 mm) were high (arithmetic mean: 53.7 mg/kg, 90^th percentile 129.1 mg/kg), the permethrin concentrations in the air (suspended particles) were very low (arithmetic mean 2.8 ng/m³, 90^th percentile 5.8 ng/m³, first sampling). Additional experiments demonstrate that permethrin on suspended particles result from carpet fiber abrasion (and not from an evaporation/re-condensation process). The internal exposure of the 145 inhabitants participating in the study was determined by biological monitoring (permethrin metabolites in urine). In a first sampling period almost 14% of the samples showed concentrations of the metabolite DCCA and almost 23% of the metabolite 3-PBA above the limit of detection (0.2 g/l). A model was developed which allows the calculation of the metabolite concentration in urine due to inhalative uptake of permethrin. Even for the worst case situation the calculated metabolite concentrations were ca. 30 times lower than the experimental results. The observed concentrations of metabolites are comparable to those of the background concentrations of the general population in Germany, suggesting that they must origin from other sources than woollen textile floor coverings. The indoor and biological monitoring data as well as the evaluation of the reported symptoms give no indication of an adverse health effect due to carpet treatment by permethrin.

Keywords: Woollen textile floor coverings; permethrin; indoor monitoring; biological monitoring; health effects

Language: English

Document Type: Original article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1078/1438-4639-00181

Affiliations: 1: Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Aerosol Research, Drug Research and Clinical Inhalation, Hannover, Germany 2: Institute of Hygiene, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany 3: Bayer AG Leverkusen, Medical Department, Leverkusen, Germany 4: Medical Institute of Environmental Hygiene, Düsseldorf, Germany

Publication date: 2002-10-01

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Microbiology ,  Ecology ,  Public Health ,  Toxicology
• By this author: Berger-Preiß E. ;  Levsen K. ;  Leng G. ;  Idel H. ;  Sugiri D. ;  Ranft U.

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