Methylsiloxanes risk assessment combining external and internal exposure for college students

Methylsiloxanes (MSs) are widely used as solvents or emollients in various personal care products (PCPs) and may pose a health risk. In this study, we assessed external and internal exposure to MSs among students at two universities in southwestern China. Samples of air, dust, and PCPs were collected to evaluate indoor non-dietary exposure to MSs via multiple pathways among the students. Indoor MS levels were approximately 1–3 orders of magnitude higher in the dormitories of female students than in either classrooms or the dormitories of male students. Lipstick contained the highest MS levels. Cyclic MS (CMS: D4–D6) levels were 1 order of magnitude higher in female students than in male students. Among the three CMSs, D5 levels were highest in the plasma of all students (1.3–15 ng/mL). In dormitories, dermal contact with PCPs was the major route of exposure to CMSs for all students. Among linear MSs (LMSs: L5–L16), dermal PCP absorption and dust ingestion were the predominant exposure routes for male and female students, respectively. Although the overall risk of exposure to D4 and D5 was below the chronic reference dose for all exposure routes and all students, the total daily doses of exposure to D4 and D5 via dermal PCP absorption approached the chronic reference dose in four female students. Therefore, the effects of MSs on female students should be further investigated in future studies.