Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China

Abstract Persistent organic pollutants have been widely detected in the environment and pose a substantial threat to human health. However, few studies have directly investigated exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) through skin contact. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate dermal exposure to OCP...

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Main Authors: Jian Guo, Xiaojun Luo, Yanhong Zeng, Bixian Mai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87961-1
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author Jian Guo
Xiaojun Luo
Yanhong Zeng
Bixian Mai
author_facet Jian Guo
Xiaojun Luo
Yanhong Zeng
Bixian Mai
author_sort Jian Guo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Persistent organic pollutants have been widely detected in the environment and pose a substantial threat to human health. However, few studies have directly investigated exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) through skin contact. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate dermal exposure to OCPs in different populations in a typical agricultural city in South China. Skin wipe samples were collected from the faces, hands, forearms, and shanks of 120 volunteers (50% male and 50% female) across various age groups. All ten target OCPs were detected in the samples, with concentrations ranging from non-detectable (ND) to 7200 ng/m2. The concentration of OCPs displayed a consistent pattern of face > hand > forearm > shank regardless of age or sex. Daily average doses of dermal ingestion (DADderm) and hand-to-mouth contact ingestion (DADoral) ranged from ND to 68 ng/kg/d and from ND to 7.8 ng/kg/d, respectively. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was the primary contributor, accounting for 68% of the DADderm and 91% of the DADoral. No significant age- or sex-based differences were observed in DADderm, but DADoral showed significant variation, being markedly higher in preschoolers than in other age groups and higher in females than in males. Carcinogenic risks associated with OCPs dermal exposure ranged from ND to 2.4 × 10− 5, with older adults facing the highest risk and females having significantly higher risk than males.
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spelling doaj-art-c9f869500bf64e39b5e5ec06c86485bf2025-08-20T03:07:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-011511910.1038/s41598-025-87961-1Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South ChinaJian Guo0Xiaojun Luo1Yanhong Zeng2Bixian Mai3Guangdong University of Petrochemical TechnologyState Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Persistent organic pollutants have been widely detected in the environment and pose a substantial threat to human health. However, few studies have directly investigated exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) through skin contact. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate dermal exposure to OCPs in different populations in a typical agricultural city in South China. Skin wipe samples were collected from the faces, hands, forearms, and shanks of 120 volunteers (50% male and 50% female) across various age groups. All ten target OCPs were detected in the samples, with concentrations ranging from non-detectable (ND) to 7200 ng/m2. The concentration of OCPs displayed a consistent pattern of face > hand > forearm > shank regardless of age or sex. Daily average doses of dermal ingestion (DADderm) and hand-to-mouth contact ingestion (DADoral) ranged from ND to 68 ng/kg/d and from ND to 7.8 ng/kg/d, respectively. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was the primary contributor, accounting for 68% of the DADderm and 91% of the DADoral. No significant age- or sex-based differences were observed in DADderm, but DADoral showed significant variation, being markedly higher in preschoolers than in other age groups and higher in females than in males. Carcinogenic risks associated with OCPs dermal exposure ranged from ND to 2.4 × 10− 5, with older adults facing the highest risk and females having significantly higher risk than males.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87961-1Organochlorine pesticideSkin wipe sampleDermal exposureCarcinogenic risk
spellingShingle Jian Guo
Xiaojun Luo
Yanhong Zeng
Bixian Mai
Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China
Scientific Reports
Organochlorine pesticide
Skin wipe sample
Dermal exposure
Carcinogenic risk
title Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China
title_full Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China
title_fullStr Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China
title_full_unstemmed Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China
title_short Assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in South China
title_sort assessing dermal exposure to organochlorine pesticides in different populations of a prototypical agricultural city in south china
topic Organochlorine pesticide
Skin wipe sample
Dermal exposure
Carcinogenic risk
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87961-1
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AT yanhongzeng assessingdermalexposuretoorganochlorinepesticidesindifferentpopulationsofaprototypicalagriculturalcityinsouthchina
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