ERASSTRI - European Risk Assessment Study on Synthetic Turf Rubber Infill - Part 2: Migration and monitoring studies.

End-of-life tyre (ELT)-derived rubber granules are used as synthetic turf infill on sports fields. They contain various chemical substances and there are concerns that exposure to these substances might be harmful for human health. In this second part of a Europe-wide study to address these concerns migration of substances from rubber granules to artificial body fluids (sweat, saliva, gastric juice) was tested and exposure measurements at sports fields were performed to improve the database for exposure assessment. Some PAHs, aluminium, cobalt, benzothiazole, tert-butylamine, MIBK, 4-tert-octylphenol, bisphenol A, and the phthalates DINP and DEHP were found in at least some samples of sweat simulant. The migration rates calculated with these data were used to inform the dermal exposure assessment. In artificial saliva and gastric juice, only aluminium, cobalt, 4-tert-octylphenol and MIBK were detected and migrated fractions were calculated. Bioaccessibility from rubber granules in the gastrointestinal tract was estimated conservatively, assuming complete availability for most substances. In addition, air samples from 17 sports fields in six European countries were analysed. There were no increased concentrations of metals (aluminium, cobalt), PAHs, or other semivolatile substances in air samples, but some volatiles (MIBK: 95th percentile: 18 µg/m3, benzothiazole: 95th perc.: 7 µg/m3, tert-butylamine: 95th perc.: 31 µg/m3, 2-heptanone: 95th perc.: 0.4 µg/m3, cyclohexanone: 95th perc.: 1.5 µg/m3, and saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons >C9: 95th perc.: 26 µg/m3) were slightly increased in a few samples. In addition, skin wipe samples were obtained from 43 sportspeople after playing on synthetic turfs. Only aluminium was detected above the limit of quantification in these samples (95th perc.: 0.84 mg/sample). These data are important input for risk characterisation as performed in the final study phase. Bioaccessibility data are used for estimating oral and dermal exposure of sportspeople, and air measurements are essential for inhalation exposure assessment.

ERASSTRI - European Risk Assessment Study on Synthetic Turf Rubber Infill - Part 1: Analysis of infill samples.

End-of-life tyre (ELT)-derived rubber granules are used as synthetic turf infill on sports fields. They contain various chemical substances and there are concerns that exposure to these substances might be harmful for human health. This Europe-wide risk assessment study addresses these concerns. As the first part, chemical substances in samples from recycling companies and from sports fields were analysed. 86 coated and non-coated ELT granule samples from sites in 14 European countries were investigated, together with ten non-ELT materials. An extensive list of potentially relevant substances was compiled, and the infill materials were analysed for these substances, using GC and HPLC methods. Volatilisation of substances was studied in emission chambers. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (sum of 8 REACH PAHs) were identified at average concentrations below 10 mg/kg. Substances found at higher concentrations in rubber granules were aluminium (arithmetic mean in uncoated samples from sports fields 5383 mg/kg) and cobalt (168 mg/kg), benzothiazole (48 mg/kg) and 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (34 mg/kg), 6PPD (571 mg/kg) and DPG (51 mg/kg), and 4-tert-octylphenol (14 mg/kg). In addition, the following volatiles were found to evaporate from crumb rubber in emission chambers: benzothiazole, tert-butylamine, cyclohexanone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 2-heptanone and saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons higher than C9. With this comprehensive survey we created a profound database on concentrations of chemical substances in ELT-derived infill material, which is essential for a reliable risk assessment. The results were used to inform subsequent investigations (migration studies, exposure monitoring survey).

Contamination pathways of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - From the worker to the family.

The improper recycling of old industrial sized capacitors and transformers in Dortmund, Germany, led to a contamination of workers and environment with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In 2010, a surveillance program was conducted for the former workers, their relatives, and residents next to the recycling company. In the human biomonitoring, elevated values for PCBs were detected in a proportion of the in-house relatives of the workers, including children. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the contamination pathways from the company to the family. Brought home working clothes of the former employees were identified as a first pathway for a contamination of the residential environment. Those clothes were cleaned at home, due to temporary employment contract. Washing machines and dryers were in consequence highly contaminated with PCBs. This led to a contamination of the relative's clothes and by this to a dermal uptake of PCBs. Another exposure pathway was the inhalation of PCB containing dust. In particular at locations, that were in contact with the working boots, high levels of PCBs were detected in the ambient monitoring. This established another exposure pathway by inhalation of PCB containing dust. The link between the residential influence factors and the PCB plasma concentration (n = 54) is shown by rank correlation. In conclusion, it should be avoided to take home potentially contaminated working clothes or boots, to prevent an exposure of children and other family members.