Exposure level and risk assessment of atrazine in Chinese adults based on the systematic review data and the Monte Carlo simulation method

Abstract

As an environmental endocrine disruptor, atrazine (ATR) can produce serious health damage to humans. This study aimed to assess the exposure and health risks associated with ATR among Chinese adults by analyzing data on ATR concentrations in various environmental media across China. Literatures were retrieved from 5 databases and finally identified 65 eligible studies. The concentrations of ATR in environmental media ranged from 0 to 0.12 mg/kg. The average daily doses (ADD) of ATR for Chinese males and females were estimated at 2.58 × 10⁻⁵mg/kg/d and 2.53 × 10⁻⁵mg/kg/d, respectively. The ADD values did not exceed the reference dose −0.035 mg/kg/d. Sensitivity analysis revealed that body weight and ATR concentrations in various food items such as vegetables, grains, and fruits, along with factors like drinking water intake rate, were the primary influencing factors. Furthermore, the hazard index (HI) values were less than 1 and over 0.32% of cancer risk (CR) values were higher than 10⁻⁴, indicating that exposure to ATR could pose a potential risk. The HI and CR values did not exhibit statistically significant differences across genders or among various age groups. This study illustrated that exposed to ATR can pose potential risk to Chinese adults health and dietary intake (including drinking water, and food) was the major pathway by which most humans are exposed to ATR.

Keywords:

• Atrazine
• exposure assessment
• risk assessment
• Monte Carlo

Authors contributions

Yuezhu Zhang and Liting Zhou designed the study; Yan Xu wrote the manuscript; Xiaoqi Fang and Haotang Zhao analyzed the data; Hui ye and Jianwei Cui participated in revising the manuscript; All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The datasets presented in this study are available on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 82203992], Jilin Provincial Department of science and technology [No. 20220508077RC] and the Norman Bethune Program of Jilin University [2022B46].