Real-Time Measurement of Indoor PM Concentrations on Daily Change of Endocrine Disruptors in Urine Samples of New Mothers

• Main Authors: Dohyeong Kim, Ju Hee Kim, SungChul Seo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: particulate matter; endocrine disruptors; urine samples; real-time measurement
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/6166

The recent innovation of IoT-based sensor technologies facilitates real-time monitoring of indoor air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), but its dynamic impacts on the level of endocrine disruptors in human body remain understudied. This feasibility study analyzed if the constant measurements of indoor PM concentrations collected at every five minutes are meaningfully associated with the levels of 15 types of endocrine disruptors in urine samples collected three times a day from nine new breastfeeding mothers in Seoul, Korea. Some promising results are observed in terms of detecting cumulative effects of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 on some phthalate metabolites (MnBP, MiBP, MiNP, MCOP, MEOHP and MEHHP), BPA and TCS, at least for some participants. The findings from this study are expected to provide valuable directions for guiding future studies that discover potential associations between indoor PM concentrations and exposure to endocrine disruptors, which is still far from the consensus in the literature. Such efforts should offer empirical and scientific evidences for designing technology-based early warning/alarm services and evidence-based interventions to mitigate the level of exposure to PM and endocrine disruptors in their living environments.