Potential Health Risks of Chemicals in Car Colorant Products

Daeyeop Lee, Joo-hyon Kim, Moonyoung Hwang, Hyunwoo Lim and Kwangseol Seok
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Daeyeop Lee: National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon 22689, Korea
Joo-hyon Kim: National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon 22689, Korea
Moonyoung Hwang: National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon 22689, Korea
Hyunwoo Lim: National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon 22689, Korea
Kwangseol Seok: National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon 22689, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Public concern regarding the use of products with chemicals has increased in Korea, following reports indicating that hazardous chemicals in products, such as disinfectants, can cause fatal lung disease. Despite the widespread use of car colorant products, little is known regarding their potential health risks. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential health risks of substances that exist in car colorant products. Thirteen car colorant products were purchased from the Korean market and 15 commonly used chemicals were analyzed. Exposure and risk assessments were conducted in two assessment stages (screening and refined). The analysis showed that all of the examined products contained toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. The maximum concentration of toluene was 52.5%, with a median concentration of 10.8%. Tier 1 (screening) assessment showed that four chemicals (toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and 2-butoxyethanol) may pose health risks, but tier 2 (refined) assessment showed that these chemicals do not pose any risk. However, these chemicals were present in all of the examined products, and government regulations did not control their concentrations in these products. Therefore, we suggest that levels of toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene in car colorant products should be regulated to protect public health.

Keywords: health risk; car colorant products; exposure assessment; risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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