Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Background: We examined the association between exposure during pregnancy to trihalomethanes, the most common water disinfection by-products, and birth outcomes in a European cohort study (Health Impacts of Long-Term Exposure to Disinfection By-Products in Drinking Water). We took into account exposure through different water uses, measures of water toxicity, and genetic susceptibility. Methods: We enrolled 14,005 mothers (2002-2010) and their children from France, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, and the UK. Information on lifestyle- and water-related activities was recorded. We ascertained residential concentrations of trihalomethanes through regulatory records and ad hoc sampling campaigns and estimated route-specific trihalomethane uptake by trimester and for whole pregnancy. We examined single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variants in disinfection by-product metabolizing genes in nested case-control studies. Results: Average levels of trihalomethanes ranged from around 10 μg/L to above the regulatory limits in the EU of 100 μg/L between centers. There was no association between birth weight and total trihalomethane exposure during pregnancy (β = 2.2 g in birth weight per 10 μg/L of trihalomethane, 95% confidence interval = 3.3, 7.6). Birth weight was not associated with exposure through different routes or with specific trihalomethane species. Exposure to trihalomethanes was not associated with low birth weight (odds ratio [OR] per 10 μg/L = 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 0.95, 1.10), small-for-gestational age (OR = 0.99, 0.94, 1.03) and preterm births (OR = 0.98, 0.9, 1.05). We found no gene-environment interactions for mother or child polymorphisms in relation to preterm birth or small-for-gestational age. Conclusions: In this large European study, we found no association between birth outcomes and trihalomethane exposures during pregnancy in the total population or in potentially genetically susceptible subgroups. © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
Epidemiology

hal-01392115
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01392115
DOI : 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000544
PUBMED : 27468006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
This study assessed the inhaled dose of alcohol during hand disinfection. Experiments were conducted with two types of hand rub using two hand disinfection procedures. Air samples were collected every 10 s from the breathing zone, by bubbling through a mixture of K2Cr2O7 and H2SO4. The reduction of dichromate ions in the presence of alcohols was followed by UV-vis spectrophotometry. The difference in intensity of the dichromate absorption peak was used to quantify the alcohol concentration expressed in ethanol equivalent. During hygienic hand disinfection, the mean ethanol equivalent concentrations peaked at around 20-30 s for both hand rubs (14.3 ± 1.4 mg/L for hand rub 1 and 13.2 ± 0.7 mg/L for hand rub 2). During surgical hand disinfection, two peaks were found at the same time (40 and 80 s) for both hand rubs. The highest mean concentrations were 20.2 ± 0.9 mg/L for hand rub 1 and 18.1 ± 0.9 mg/L for hand rub 2. For hand rub 1, the total absorbed doses, calculated from ethanol with an inhalation flow of 24 L/min and an absorption rate of 62%, were 46.5 mg after one hygienic hand disinfection and 203.9 mg after one surgical hand disinfection. Although the use of ABHRs leads to the absorption of very low doses, sudden, repeated inhalation of high alcohol concentrations raises the question of possible adverse health effects.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

hal-00878450
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00878450
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00878450/document
DOI : 10.3390/ijerph9030868

Éditeur(s) : Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Résumé : This activity report entitled (“Chemical contamination of the marine environment: from measurement to risk assessment”) summarizes the main stages my career at Ifremer from November 1975 to june 2013. The first chapter deals with the seawater chlorination and chlorinated waters released into the sea, the identification and the conditions of the formation of various by-product of these processes. The second chapter concerns PCBs, their nature, their chemical analysis in environmental matrices. PCBs are considered as the best examples of persistant and bioaccumulable compounds and therefore, in all this report they are flagship contaminants to which other groups of studied substances are compared. The third chapter refers to studies performed within marine pollution monitoring programme RNO (Réseau National d’Observation de la qualité de l’environnement marin - National observation network on the quality of the marine environnment) and well as other more limited studies like a first assessement on the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in the French coastal marine environment and last, on the use of zebra mussel (Dresseinia polymorpha) as sentinelle species of the chemical contamination in the Seine estuary. The next two chapters are about bioaccumulation and about the distribution of organic contaminants (PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, PBDEs) in marine organisms and in marine foodwebs. These studies aim at a better knowledge of the presence and fate of these compounds in fish and marine organisms eitheir in an environmental perspective (chapter IV) or in order to contribute to the assessment of their health impact, or more precisely to estimate therelative part of fish and seafood to the human exposure to chemical residues (chapter V). To conclude, the chapter VI concerns the PCB and dioxin fingerprints in the various studied marine matrices ; analytical and environmental interpretations of the observed differences are suggested as well as possible applications.
Ce bilan d’activité intitulé « Contamination chimique du milieu marin : de la mesure à l’évaluation des risques » retrace les étapes essentielles de mon parcours à Ifremer entre novembre 1975 et juin 2013. Le premier chapitre traite de la chloration dans l’eau de mer et les rejets chlorés en mer, l’identification des sous-produits formés lors de ces traitements, les conditions de leur formation. Le second chapitre concerne la nature des PCB et leur analyse dans les matrices environnementales. Les PCB considérés comme les meilleurs exemples de composés persistants bioaccumulables constituent les « contaminants phares » de l’ensemble de ce travail et c’est par rapport aux PCB que sont comparés et évalués les autres groupes de contaminants étudiés. Le troisième chapitre se rapporte aux travaux réalisés dans le cadre de la surveillance RNO (Réseau National d’Observation de la qualité de l’environnement marin) ainsi que dans des études ponctuelles comme un premier inventaire sur les niveaux de présence des dioxines (PCDD et PCDF) dans l’environnement marin littoral ou sur l’utilisation de la moule zébrée (Dresseinia polymorpha) comme espèce indicatrice de la contamination de l’estuaire de la Seine. Les deux chapitres suivants sont consacrés aux travaux sur la bioaccumulation et aux contaminants organiques (PCB, dioxines, HAP, PBDE) dans les organismes et les réseaux trophiques marins soit dans une perspective environnementale sur le devenir des contaminants dans le vivant (chapitre IV) soit dans le cadre de l’évaluation des risques sanitaires ou, plus précisément, de l’estimation de la contribution de la consommation des produits de la mer à l’exposition de l’homme aux résidus chimiques (chapitre V). Pour terminer, le chapitre VI concerne les empreintes de PCB et de dioxines dans les différentes matrices étudiées ; une interprétation analytique et environnementale des différences observées est proposée ainsi que de possibles applications.

Droits : 2013 UBO
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00168/27946/26237.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00168/27946/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Awwa American Water Works Association
Résumé : International audience
A three-year study was conducted on the occurrence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) - trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and haloacetonitriles - in drinking water of regions of Europe where epidemiology studies were being carried out. Thirteen systems in six countries (i.e., Italy, France, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, United Kingdom) were sampled. Typically chlorinated DBPs dominated. However, in most of Catalonia (Spain) and in Heraklion (Greece), brominated DBPs dominated. The degree of bromine incorporation into the DBP classes was in general similar among them. This is important, as brominated DBPs are a greater health concern. In parts of Catalonia, the reported levels of tribromoacetic acid were higher than in other parts of the world. In some regions, the levels of HAAs tended to be peaked in concentration in a different time period than when the levels of THMs peaked. In most epidemiology studies, THMs are used as a surrogate for other halogenated DBPs. This study provides exposure assessment information for epidemiology studies. © 2016 American Water Works Association.
ISSN: 0003-150X

hal-01406069
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01406069
DOI : 10.5942/jawwa.2016.108.0152

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Chemical Society
Résumé : International audience
The HIWATE (Health Impacts of long-term exposure to disinfection byproducts in drinking WATEr) project was a systematic analysis that combined the epidemiology on adverse pregnancy outcomes and other health effects with long-term exposure to low levels of drinking water disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in the European Union. The present study focused on the relationship of the occurrence and concentration of DBPs with in vitro mammalian cell toxicity. Eleven drinking water samples were collected from five European countries. Each sampling location corresponded with an epidemiological study for the HIWATE program. Over 90 DBPs were identified; the range in the number of DBPs and their levels reflected the diverse collection sites, different disinfection processes, and the different characteristics of the source waters. For each sampling site, chronic mammalian cell cytotoxicity correlated highly with the numbers of DBPs identified and the levels of DBP chemical classes. Although there was a clear difference in the genotoxic responses among the drinking waters, these data did not correlate as well with the chemical analyses. Thus, the agents responsible for the genomic DNA damage observed in the HIWATE samples may be due to unresolved associations of combinations of identified DBPs, unknown emerging DBPs that were not identified, or other toxic water contaminants. This study represents the first to integrate quantitative in vitro toxicological data with analytical chemistry and human epidemiologic outcomes for drinking water DBPs.
ISSN: 0013-936X

hal-00875923
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875923
DOI : 10.1021/es3024226
PUBMED : 22958121

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD John Libbey Eurotext
Résumé : International audience
The diversity of chemicals used in hospitals (detergents-disinfectants, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, drugs, etc.) and recent developments in indoor air quality regulation of public access buildings require a better understanding of chemical risks in this particular environment. We developed a methodology for semi-quantitative chemical risk assessments in this environment to prioritize inhalation risks by sector and chemical. This methodology is based on a similar approach in the workplace that defines classes of exposures and of hazards. Their combination produces a risk matrix. Four criteria were used to determine the exposure classes: quantity and frequency of the chemical's use, volatility (vapor pressure), and the type of collective protective equipment associated with each area. The hazard class is also derived from four criteria: classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction, the existence of a toxicity reference value, occupational exposure limit values, and risk phrases (official risk descriptions, on labels, data sheets, etc). This methodology was tested in the Rennes University Hospital (Rennes, France) in five different hospital areas, with a specific survey undertaken to collect data about chemicals in each area. The results show the spatial specificity of chemical risks. Among the various sites analysed, the chemical risks of two require priority attention: the parasitology-mycology laboratory and patients' rooms. Because of their wide use in the hospital and the volatility of some of their components (alcohols), detergents-disinfectants contribute to increasing risk levels in all areas. The model is therefore discriminatory in terms of areas and substances.
ISSN: 1635-0421

hal-00952349
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00952349
DOI : 10.1684/ers.2013.0659

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Background. Chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant for drinking water treatment. During treatment process, the natural organic matter present in water reacts with chlorine to form disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), the most occurring ones. Several identified DBPs were recognized carcinogens or fetotoxic in animals. We conducted two epidemiological studies to assess the health effects of human exposure to DBPs regarding cancer and reproduction. Association between THM exposure and the risk of bladder cancer: a pooled analysis of 3 European case-control studies. The study included 2381 cases and 3086 controls from 3 case-control studies (France, Finland, Spain). Environmental exposure to SPCs was measured by THM concentrations in water distribution systems, retrospectively estimated through the 40-year exposure window. Information about water uses (tap water ingestion, showers and baths, swimming-pool attendance) was available. An increased risk of bladder cancer was observed, in men only, with increasing THM concentrations in water systems and duration of exposure to chlorinated surface water. No association was observed with exposure through tap water ingestion. Exposure through showers, baths and swimming in pools (available in Spanish study only) was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Three North-American case-control studies were joined to the three European ones into a meta-regression. No specific dose-response relationship was identified for European studies. A global dose-response relationship was consequently estimated, including 4351 cases and 7055 controls. Association between DBP exposure and the risk of preterm birth and Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR). This study was conducted within the PELAGIE cohort (3400 pregnant women included in early pregnancy, in Brittany, France, between 2002 and 2006). Exposure during pregnancy was measured by 2 indicators: THM concentrations in water distribution systems and a biomarker of HAA ingestion, the level of trichloroacetic acid in maternal urine at inclusion (in a nested case-control study). The regulatory database SISE-Eaux was used to estimate THMs concentrations in the water distribution systems. Water uses during pregnancy (ingested tap water, swimming-pool attendance, showers and bath frequencies and duration) were collected with questionnaires. Our results suggest an association between prenatal exposure to DBPs (THMs and HAAs) and the risk of IUGR. No association was found with the risk of preterm birth.
Contexte. La chloration est le traitement le plus utilisé pour désinfecter l’eau distribuée à la population. Lors du traitement, des sous-produits de chloration (SPCs) se forment par réaction de la matière organique naturelle présente dans l’eau avec le chlore. Les produits les plus présents sont les trihalométhanes (THMs), les acides haloacétiques (HAAs). Des études toxicologiques (animales et in vitro) ont montré la génotoxicité et/ou carcinogénicité et la reprotoxicité de certains SPCs. Nous avons mené deux études évaluant les effets sur la santé humaine de l’exposition aux SPCs, dans le domaine du cancer et de la reproduction. Association entre exposition aux THMs et risque de cancer de la vessie : une analyse poolée de 3 études cas-témoins européennes. Cette analyse a inclus 2381 cas et 3086 témoins issus de 3 études cas-témoins (France, Espagne, Finlande). L’exposition environnementale aux SPCs a été mesurée par la concentration en THMs estimée rétrospectivement dans les réseaux de distribution d’eau au cours des 40 années de la fenêtre d’exposition. Les usages de l’eau connus sont l’ingestion, les douches et les bains, la fréquentation de piscine (étude espagnole seulement). Une relation croissante a été observée entre le niveau environnemental de THMs, la durée d’exposition à une eau de surface chlorée et le risque de cancer de la vessie, chez les hommes uniquement. Aucune association n’a été observée avec l’exposition via l’ingestion d’eau du robinet. L’exposition via les douches, les bains et la piscine est apparue liée au risque de cancer de la vessie. Trois études cas-témoins nord-américaines ont été intégrées dans une méta-régression. Aucune spécificité européenne de la relation dose-réponse n’a été mise en évidence. Une relation dose-réponse globale incluant 4351 cas et 7055 témoins a été estimée. Association entre exposition aux SPCs et risque de prématurité et de retard de croissance intra-utérin (RCIU). Cette étude est issue de la cohorte bretonne Pélagie (3400 femmes enceintes recrutées en début de grossesse entre 2002 et 2006). L’exposition pendant la grossesse a été mesurée à l’aide de 2 indicateurs : la concentration en THMs de l’eau distribuée dans les réseaux et le dosage d’un biomarqueur urinaire (acide trichloroacétique) pour un sous-échantillon de femmes (étude cas-témoins nichée). Les niveaux dans les réseaux proviennent de la base de données réglementaire SISE-Eaux. Les usages de l’eau du robinet par les femmes pendant la grossesse ont été collectés par questionnaire (quantité d’eau du robinet bue, fréquentation de la piscine, fréquence et durée des douches et des bains). Notre étude suggère une association entre l’exposition prénatale aux SPCs et le risque de RCIU. Aucune association n’est observée avec le risque de prématurité.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00927735

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
NNT : 2013REN1B008
tel-00927735
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00927735
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00927735/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00927735/file/COSTET_DEIBER_Nathalie4.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
During the treatment process of drinking water, disinfectants (chlorine, ozone, chlorine dioxide) react on water containing organic matter and bromide to produce disinfection by-products at trace levels. Among them, five of the nine existing halo-acetic acids (HAAs) are commonly found in drinking water (monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), monobromoacetic acid (MBAA), dibromoacetic acid (DBAA), and Trichloroacetic acid (TCAA)), including four classified in the 2B IARC group of potential carcinogens (BCAA, DBAA, DCAA, TCAA). With respect to drinking water quality, guidelines are proposed by WHO (2006) and water quality standards are imposed in many countries such as less than 100 μg/L for the sum of the five HAAs by US EPA (1998) and Canadian Health Department (2008). For this purpose, two analytical methods are commonly used, GC/MS with derivatization and LC/MS, UV or conductivity. A new method, based on two-dimensional ion chromatography (IC 2D) with suppressed conductivity is proposed. This method presents the main advantage of offering a quick implementation compared to GC or LC methods: direct injection, slight maintenance, lower cost of investment, by leading to good performances (specificity and sensitivity). The use of two different selectivity columns, and the fractionation on the first dimension canceling interferences, improves the specificity. The sensitivity is enabled by interfacing a preconcentration column between the two different internal diameter columns. The analytical conditions are optimized for the analysis of nine HAAs. The performances of the method are evaluated. The optimized method applied to natural water samples demonstrates its ability to quantify HAAs at trace levels in drinking water.
Microchemical Journal

hal-00877151
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00877151
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00877151/document
DOI : 10.1016/j.microc.2013.07.012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms is drastically increasing in temperate countries and drinking water resources are threatened. As a result, cyanotoxins should be considered in water treatment to protect human health. This study presents a state of the art on cyanotoxins in water and their behaviour towards chlorination, a common drinking water disinfection process. Chlorination efficiency on cyanotoxins alteration depends on pH, chlorine dose and oxidant nature. Microcystins and cylindrospermopsin are efficiently transformed by chlorine, with respectively 6 and 2 by-products identified. In addition, chlorination of microcystins and cylindrospermopsin is associated with a loss of acute toxicity. Even though they have been less investigated, saxitoxins and nodularins are also altered by chlorine. For these toxins, no by-products have been identified, but the chlorinated mixture does not show acute toxicity. On the contrary, the fact that anatoxin-a has a very slow reaction kinetics suggests that this toxin resists chlorination.
ISSN: 0041-0101

hal-01122372
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122372
DOI : 10.1016/j.toxicon.2009.10.028
PUBMED : 19874838

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Women of reproductive age can be exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) at work, and exposure to EDCs in pregnancy may affect fetal growth. OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether maternal occupational exposure to EDCs during pregnancy as classified by application of a job exposure matrix was associated with birth weight, term low birth weight (LBW), length of gestation, and preterm delivery. METHODS: Using individual participant data from 133,957 mother-child pairs in 13 European cohorts spanning births from 1994 through 2011, we linked maternal job titles with exposure to 10 EDC groups as assessed through a job exposure matrix. For each group, we combined the two levels of exposure categories (possible and probable) and compared birth outcomes with the unexposed group (exposure unlikely). We performed meta-analyses of cohort-specific estimates. RESULTS: Eleven percent of pregnant women were classified as exposed to EDCs at work during pregnancy, based on job title. Classification of exposure to one or more EDC group was associated with an increased risk of term LBW [odds ratio (OR) = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.49], as were most specific EDC groups; this association was consistent across cohorts. Further, the risk increased with increasing number of EDC groups (OR = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.10, 4.06 for exposure to four or more EDC groups). There were few associations (p < 0.05) with the other outcomes; women holding job titles classified as exposed to bisphenol A or brominated flame retardants were at higher risk for longer length of gestation. CONCLUSION: Results from our large population-based birth cohort design indicate that employment during pregnancy in occupations classified as possibly or probably exposed to EDCs was associated with an increased risk of term LBW.
ISSN: 0091-6765

hal-01405823
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01405823
DOI : 10.1289/EHP208
PUBMED : 27152464

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD MDPI
Résumé : International audience
Hand disinfection with alcohols-based hand rubs (ABHRs) are known to be the most effective measure to prevent nosocomial infections in healthcare. ABHRs contain on average 70% by weight of one or more alcohols. During the hand rubbing procedure, users are exposed to these alcohols not only through dermal contact, but also via inhalation, due to the physical and chemical properties of alcohols volatilizing from alcoholic solutions or gels into the air. Ethanol ingestion is well known to increase risks of several diseases (affecting the pancreas, liver, cardiovascular system…), but there is a lack of knowledge about the effects of exposure to other alcohols (including n- or isopropanol) via inhalation and dermal contact, despite the worldwide use of ABHRs. This work aims at discussing possible health effects related to unintentional alcoholization (via inhalation and dermal contact) from professional ABHR usage to suggest the need for more research in this area (but not to question the value of ABHRs). Based upon an average of 30 hand rubbings per healthcare professional per day, it can be assumed that a healthcare worker may be exposed to a maximum 5,500 mg/m(3) per work shift, five times above the recommended occupational time weighted average limit. Thus, in order to answer the question posed in the title, studies on spatial and temporal variability of alcohol emission from ABHRs in real world situations and studies on certain high risk individuals are needed.
ISSN: 1660-4601

hal-01122305
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122305
PUBMED : 20948945
DOI : 10.3390/ijerph7083038
PUBMEDCENTRAL : PMC2954566

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Although prenatal exposure to water disinfection by-products does not appear to affect the duration of gestation, its impact on fetal growth remains an open question. The authors studied the associations between prenatal exposure to disinfection by-products and fetal growth restriction (FGR) and preterm birth in the PELAGIE cohort, a French birth cohort comprising 3,421 pregnant women recruited between 2002 and 2006. Exposure was assessed by estimating levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) in tap water during pregnancy and maternal water use and by measuring maternal urinary levels of trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) during early pregnancy in a nested case-control design that compared 174 FGR cases, 114 preterm births, and 399 controls. Higher uptake of THMs (especially brominated THMs) was associated with a higher risk of FGR. Women with TCAA detected in their urine (>0.01 mg/L) had a higher risk of FGR than those with TCAA levels below the detection limit (adjusted odds ratio = 1.8, 95% confidence interval: 0.9, 3.7) and had an odds ratio for preterm birth below 1 (adjusted odds ratio = 0.8, 95% confidence interval: 0.3, 2.6). Results from this prospective study, the first to use a biomarker of disinfection by-product exposure, suggest that prenatal exposure affects fetal growth, but the causal agent or agents remain to be identified.
ISSN: 0002-9262

hal-00682627
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00682627
DOI : 10.1093/aje/kwr419
PUBMED : 22156019

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD MDPI
Résumé : International audience
The issue of drinking water quality compliance in small and medium scale water services is of paramount importance in relation to the 98/83/CE European Drinking Water Directive (DWD). Additionally, concerns are being expressed over the implementation of the DWD with respect to possible impacts on water quality from forecast changes in European climate with global warming and further anticipated reductions in north European acid emissions. Consequently, we have developed a decision support system (DSS) named ARTEM-WQ (AwaReness Tool for the Evaluation and Mitigation of drinking Water Quality issues resulting from environmental changes) to support decision making by small and medium plant operators and other water stakeholders. ARTEM-WQ is based on a sequential risk analysis approach that includes consideration of catchment characteristics, climatic conditions and treatment operations. It provides a holistic evaluation of the water system, while also assessing human health risks of organic contaminants potentially present in treated waters (steroids, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, bisphenol-a, polychlorobiphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petrochemical hydrocarbons and disinfection by-products; n = 109). Moreover, the system provides recommendations for improvement while supporting decision making in its widest context. The tool has been tested on various European catchments and shows a promising potential to inform water managers of risks and appropriate mitigative actions. Further improvements should include toxicological knowledge advancement, environmental background pollutant concentrations and the assessment of the impact of distribution systems on water quality variation.
ISSN: 1660-4601

hal-01122233
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122233
PUBMED : 25046634
DOI : 10.3390/ijerph110707354
PUBMEDCENTRAL : PMC4113881

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess, for the first time, the nature of the indoor air contamination of hospitals. METHODS AND FINDINGS: More than 40 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including aliphatic, aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, ethers and terpenes were measured in a teaching hospital in France, from sampling in six sampling sites--reception hall, patient room, nursing care, post-anesthesia care unit, parasitology-mycology laboratory and flexible endoscope disinfection unit--in the morning and in the afternoon, during three consecutive days. Our results showed that the main compounds found in indoor air were alcohols (arithmetic means ± SD: 928±958 µg/m³ and 47.9±52.2 µg/m³ for ethanol and isopropanol, respectively), ethers (75.6±157 µg/m³ for ether) and ketones (22.6±20.6 µg/m³ for acetone). Concentrations levels of aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes and limonene were widely variable between sampling sites, due to building age and type of products used according to health activities conducted in each site. A high temporal variability was observed in concentrations of alcohols, probably due to the intensive use of alcohol-based hand rubs in all sites. Qualitative analysis of air samples led to the identification of other compounds, including siloxanes (hexamethyldisiloxane, octamethyltrisiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane), anesthetic gases (sevoflurane, desflurane), aliphatic hydrocarbons (butane), esters (ethylacetate), terpenes (camphor, α-bisabolol), aldehydes (benzaldehyde) and organic acids (benzoic acid) depending on sites. CONCLUSION: For all compounds, concentrations measured were lower than concentrations known to be harmful in humans. However, results showed that indoor air of sampling locations contains a complex mixture of VOCs. Further multicenter studies are required to compare these results. A full understanding of the exposure of healthcare workers and patients to complex mixtures of chemical compounds can then be related to potential health outcomes.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-00874694
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00874694
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00874694/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00874694/file/VOC_Contamination-accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0055535