Occurrence of synthetic musks in indoor dust from China and implications for human exposure

Synthetic musk compounds are used in a wide range of personal care and other consumer products. Despite this fact, few studies have reported the occurrence of synthetic musks in house dust or exposure of humans through the ingestion of indoor dust. In the present study, we determined the concentrations and profiles of two polycyclic musks (PCMs; Galaxolide(®) [HHCB] and Tonalide(®)), three nitro musks (NMs; musk ketone [MK], musk moskene [MM], and musk xylene [MX]), and one metabolite of HHCB (HHCB-lactone), in 88 indoor-dust samples from homes, dormitories, offices, and laboratories in China. In addition, we analyzed 12 dust samples collected from inside the housings of electrical/electronic devices that were located in 10 of the houses. Synthetic musks were detected in all of the dust samples analyzed, with total concentrations (sum of PCM and NM concentrations) varying from 4.42 to 688 ng g⁻¹ (mean ± SD: 126 ± 16.2 ng g⁻¹; median: 82.7 ng g⁻¹). HHCB was the predominant compound in all of the dust samples analyzed accounting on average for 42.2% of the total musk concentrations. Concentrations of synthetic musks in dust samples from homes and offices were higher than the concentrations found in samples from dormitories and laboratories. Concentrations of synthetic musks in dust samples increased with the increasing number of occupants in homes. Based on the concentrations, levels of exposure to musks by way of dust ingestion were calculated to be up to 25.8 ng d⁻¹ for adults and 138 ng d⁻¹ for toddlers.