Potential Long Term Exposure to Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds from Disinfecting Wipes

HAN N. HUYNH, Runzeng Liu, Qifan Liu, Jonathan Abbatt, University of Toronto, Canada

     Abstract Number: 157
     Working Group: Aerosol Science of Infectious Diseases: What We Have Learned and Still Need to Know about Transmission, Prevention, and the One Health Concept

Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic has led to a significant increase in the use of disinfecting personal and household care products, such as hand sanitizers, air cleaners, and wet wipes. Both businesses and residential settings have deployed various sanitizing methods to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. A common method is the use of commercially available wet wipes to disinfect frequently used surfaces. However, whether people are exposed to potentially harmful irritants from disinfecting wipes, as well as how long these species remain on the cleaned surface, are not well-studied. The goal of our experimental study is to: i) identify and ii) study the temporal profiles of organic compounds that both off-gas from wiped glass surfaces and remain on the surfaces for extended time periods. Specifically, in addition to hypoallergenic wipes and those marketed as ‘clean’ wipes, we analyzed common commercial disinfecting wipes whose active ingredients are: citric acid, benzethonium chloride, dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, ethyl alcohol. Using a proton-transfer-reaction, high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), we performed in situ measurements of desorbed VOCs and SVOCs from both freshly wiped glass surfaces and those that had aged in room air over a 20-hour period. Molecular speciation was aided by using an online gas chromatograph coupled to the PTR-ToF-MS. As well, by using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS), we detected very large numbers of organic compounds remaining on the glass surfaces over the same time range. As expected, the decays of VOCs after wiping are faster than SVOC decays, as observed using both the PTR-MS and DART-MS. However, the majority of wiping signals observed by DART-MS, from roughly m/z 200 to m/z 1000, remain on the surface with minimal change for at least 24 hours. By evaluating the desorption rate of the identified VOCs and SVOCs, we can better evaluate long term human exposure to potentially harmful organic compounds from the use of increasingly commonly used disinfecting wipes. In particular, exposure will occur via inhalation of gases and by dermal contact. As well, SVOCs will partition to ambient aerosols, increasing the importance of the inhalation exposure pathway.