Widening the Lens on Ultraviolet Absorbers: New Evidence from the Microenvironment of Agricultural Greenhouses and Workers’ Risk Ranking Based on External Exposure and Internal Metabolic Processes

Greenhouses offer optimum growth conditions for plants and create a unique microenvironment for workers who work in them. Information about human exposure to UVAs particularly those employed in agricultural greenhouses remains unknown. In the present study, UVAs employed in agricultural greenhouses in North China were comprehensively analyzed and screened. The geometric mean concentration of ∑₁₀UVAs in agricultural greenhouse plastic films (132 ng/g) was found significantly higher than that in the control films (27.1 ng/g) (p < 0.001), with UV-531 (35.9 ng/g) and UV-326 (24.9 ng/g) as the dominant components in used films, followed by that in soil and fine particles, indicating elevated levels of UVAs in agricultural greenhouses. Temperature was acquired as the main factor for the release of UVAs in agricultural greenhouses. Consistently, relatively high levels of UV-360 and UV-P were identified in the urine of greenhouse workers. The quantitative assessment of UVA exposure risks was conducted using Monte Carlo simulation, which identified soil contact as the main pathway, accounting for 88.22% of the total estimated exposure. Importantly, by integrating environmental exposure assessment, human ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) parameters, and urinary biomonitoring data, UV-328 and UV-234 were identified as the highest-priority congeners for occupational health monitoring among greenhouse workers. The present study is the first to combine environmental exposure and metabolic behavior for the prioritization of UVA risks, emphasizing the urgent need for early intervention toward the health and safety of agricultural greenhouse workers.