Risk Assessment of Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Japan Based on the First Market Basket Study and Species Sensitivity Distributions

The chemical risks of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) to human health and ecological species in Japan were assessed in this study. SCCPs are used as extreme pressure additives in metal-working fluids and flame retardant agents in plastic materials. The first market basket study with a high resolution gas chromatography and mass spectrometry with electron capture negative ionization is reported. Total daily food intakes for Japanese residents of different ages were estimated using Latin Hypercube simulations, and the highest 95th percentile intake is 6.8 × 102 ng/kg/day for a 1-year-old child. Based on the reported no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) and the estimated exposure mainly from food, it was concluded that SCCPs are not posing risks to humans in Japan. Ecological risks to aquatic and sediment organisms were estimated using species sensitivity distributions. The 95th percentiles of the distributions obtained by fitting several environmental SCCP concentration data of river water and sediment were 41.8 ng/L and 558 ng/g wet weight as the possible highest concentrations, respectively. No-observed-effect-concentrations (NOEC) were determined by calculating the fifth percentiles of a species sensitivity distribution, which were 2.2 μg/L for aquatic organisms and 1.7 to 13.5 mg/kg wet weight for sediment organisms. While it is likely that there is no imminent environmental chemical risk for aquatic organisms at a regional level in Japan, this study concluded that a more detailed risk assessment is necessary for sediment organisms.