Human exposure to plastic-associated chemicals: exposure trends in the Australian population

Plastic-associated chemicals are high production volume (HPV) industrial chemicals that are released from plastics in all stages of its life cycle. The rapid growth of chemicals being synthesized has outpaced our ability to assess and manage them. In addition, plastic chemicals often are not considered in strategies in prevention and mitigation of plastic impact on human health, environment and circular economy. Among the HPV plastic chemical groups that have been associated with adverse health effects are benzotriazoles (BZTs), benzothiazoles (BTs), benzotriazoles UV-stabilizers (BUVs), organophosphate esters (OPEs) and Nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs).

Currently, information is lacking with regards to the exposure of the Australian population, what drives it and what exposure trends there are (e.g., age-, sex-, and temporal-related trends). There is also no information with regards to how Australian population-level exposure trends compare to other countries. This study aims to address these gaps by means of human biomonitoring, a golden standard in assessing exposure as it incorporates all exposure pathways. Key aims and objectives of this study include (1) the development and validation of different mass spectrometry-based analytical methods to quantify them in human matrices such as urine and serum, (2) use the exposure trends of measured levels in deidentified surplus pooled pathology urine and serum samples stratified by age and sex from 2012 to 2023 to assess exposure, (3) if toxicokinetic profile of a compound is well understood, estimation of exposure and comparison against health-based guideline values, and (4) comparison of Australian exposure trends to that of other countries.

As information regarding specific usage of these chemicals in Australia are vague, limiting us in understanding exposure sources, this PhD will also aim to explore direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry as a rapid screening method, developing a workflow in identifying potential exposure sources such as commercial products that we use in our everyday lives.

Please note this is a HDR student progress review seminar by Reena Que.