Integrated assessment of dermal and inhalation exposure to chlorinated paraffins using personal silicone wristbands and measurement of skin contamination.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs), specifically short-chain (SCCPs) and medium-chain (MCCPs), are widely used industrial chemicals of concern due to persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. This study assessed integrated personal exposure (dermal and inhalation) to SCCPs and MCCPs using silicone wristbands (SWBs) and hand wipes (HWs) in 20 volunteers over five days. Participants wore two SWBs simultaneously: a non-removable wristband (N) worn continuously and a removable wristband (R) taken off during sleep and hygiene. SCCPs and MCCPs were detected in all SWBs. Median concentrations in SWBs(N) were 1566 ng/g SWBs for SCCPs and 1808 ng/g SWBs for MCCPs; SWBs(R) showed 1262 ng/g for SCCPs and 2321 ng/g for MCCPs, suggesting minimal contribution from bedding or hygiene. HWs (n = 84) showed median values of 210 ng/participant for SCCPs and 283 ng/participant for MCCPs, with both CP groups present in 96% of samples. Dermal exposure doses were estimated from both matrices and compared with toxicological reference values, including tolerable daily intake (TDI) and margin of exposure (MOE). For MCCPs, MOE never fell below 1000 in SWBs(N), whereas for SCCPs, it was below 1000 in 80% of cases. The TDI value for MCCPs was exceeded in 5% of SWBs(N) samples. For HWs, the TDI value was not exceeded, and MOE values were well above 1000. These findings highlight the importance of considering integrated exposure pathways in CP risk assessment. The combined use of SWBs and HWs provides complementary insights, with SWBs reflecting longer-term exposure and HWs capturing recent skin contamination, improving the overall assessment of personal CP exposure.