Work

Volatile methylsiloxane levels of settled dust in hair salons: Spatial and occupational exposure trends

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Volatile methylsiloxanes (VMS) are prevalent ingredients of personal care products, including hair care products. Hair salons, in which these products are frequently used, exposes residents to significant VMS levels. Therefore, this study investigated seven different VMS compounds in the dust from 50 hair salons. The median total VMS concentration was 906 (6.19–64,200) μg·g −1 , primarily comprising dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6, 452 μg g −1 ), followed by octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4, 303 μg g −1 ). Potential sources of cyclic VMS compounds are PCPs, while for linear VMS, they are laundry detergents, mainly used for towels in hair salons. Statistically significant spatial differences were observed between hair salons in different districts in the city, possibly influenced by socioeconomic factors, with hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D3), D4, and D6 showing the greatest variation among all the VMS compounds based on district. Winter and summer samples exhibited seasonal differences within the same district, with winter samples showing higher VMS concentrations owing to decreased ventilation. Ingestion exposure assessments revealed greater VMS exposure for hair salon workers in higher socioeconomic areas under normal case exposure conditions (normal ingestion rate with 8 h of exposure, up to 2.62 ng·day −1 kg −1 ), whereas worst-case exposure (higher ingestion rate with 12 h of exposure) was approximately 3.79 times higher. Hair salons were the most exposed to D6 in all the districts through dust ingestion. A comparison with other studies revealed lower exposure levels in the present study. • D6 and D4 were the most prevalent VMS compounds. • Spatial differences were observed based on socio-economic factors of sampling areas. • Seasonal differences were observed, higher VMS concentration in winter than summer. • Exposure to hair salon workers is higher on more developed areas, mainly for D6.

Source: Environmental Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121019

Authors: Berkay Yesildagli, Siyeon Joo, Jun-Tae Kim, Jiwon Lee

Institutions: Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Korea University

Language: English

Topic: Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,880