Predicting human exposure and risk from chlorinated indoor swimming pool: a case study

This study predicted human exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) in a chlorinated indoor swimming pool. Human exposure was predicted through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal routes while ingestion exposure was accidental with water intake of 18-34 mL/h. The number of pool attendants and duration and frequency of swimming were in the ranges of 14-62 persons/day, 40-85 min/event, and 26-48 times/ year, respectively. Trihalomethanes (THMs) in pool water and air were 28.7-95.5 mu g/L and 44.1-133.6 mu g/m(3), respectively, while haloacetic acids (HAAs) in pool water were 68.9-158.9 mu g/L. The brominated THMs in water and air were 95.4 and 94.3 % of total THMs, respectively, while brominated HAAs were 94.4 % of total HAAs. Chronic daily intakes of THMs and HAAs were 2.16x10(-5)-3.14x10(-3) and 8.4x10(-8)-4.6x 10-6 mg/kg-day, respectively. The cancer risk from three THMs and two HAAs was 2.46x10(-5) with a range of 8.1x10(-6)-5.7x10(-5), in which THMs contributed 99.6 % of total risks. Approximately 99.3 % of risks were through inhalation and dermal routes, indicating that the ingestion route may be insignificant. The cancer risks from THMs in swimming pool were 4.06-6.64 times to the cancer risks from THMs in drinking water.