Disinfection byproducts in indoor swimming pool water: Detection and human lifetime health risk assessment

Quantification of regulated and emerging disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in swimming pool water, as well as the assessment of their lifetime health risk are limited in China. In this study, the occurrence of regulated DBPs (e.g., trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids) and emerg-ing DBPs (e.g., haloacetonitriles, haloacetaldehydes) in indoor swimming pool water and the corresponding source water at a city in Eastern China were determined. The concentrations of DBPs in swimming pool water were 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than that in source water. Lifetime cancer and non-cancer risks of DBPs stemming from swimming pool water were also estimated. Inhalation and dermal exposure were the most significant exposure routes related to swimming pool DBP cancer and non-cancer risks. For the first time, buccal and aural exposure were considered, and were proven to be important routes of DBP expo-sure (accounting for 17.9%-38.9% of total risk). The cancer risks of DBPs for all swimmers were higher than 10-6 of lifetime exposure risk recommended by United States Environ-mental Protection Agency, and the competitive adult swimmers experienced the highest cancer risk (7.82 x 10-5 ). These findings provide important information and perspectives for future efforts to lower the health risks associated with exposure to DBPs in swimming pool water. (c) 2022 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.