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Meesters JAJ, Nijkamp MM, Schuur AG, et al. Cleaning Products Fact Sheet: Default parameters for estimating consumer exposure: Updated version 2018 [Internet]. Bilthoven (NL): National Institute for Public Health and the Environment; 2018.
Cleaning Products Fact Sheet: Default parameters for estimating consumer exposure: Updated version 2018 [Internet].
Show detailsAbrasives are cleaners containing small mineral particles, which create a scouring effect that removes dirt firmly attached to a surface. According to AISE (2014) and EPHECT (2012), abrasive powders are still used, but abrasives are nowadays mostly on the market as (creamy) liquids and ready-to-use scouring pads. Scouring pads consist of a ball of fine steel wire and may contain a cleaning mixture of soap. The pad then provides the scouring action and the soap the cleaning action. This Fact Sheet however only describes the abrasive products that are applied to a surface both to be scoured and to clean.
Table 9.1:
General composition of abrasives (www.isditproductveilig.nl and www.cleanright.eu)
| Abrasive cleaner ingredients | Powder % (w/w) | Liquid % (w/w) |
|---|---|---|
| Surfactants | ||
| Anionic | 1–5 | 1–5 |
| Non-ionic | 1–5 | |
| Soap | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Abrasives | ||
| Calcium carbonate | 90–95 | 20–50 |
| Sodium carbonate | 0–5 | 1–10 |
| Builders | ||
| Polycarboxylate | 0–2 | |
| Additives | ||
| Dyes | 0–0.1 | 0–0.1 |
| Fragrances | <0.5 | 0.1–2 |
| Preservatives | <0.5 | |
| Water | 40–60 |
9.1. Abrasive powder
The use of powders such as abrasive powders can lead to inhalation of and oral exposure to airborne particles. There is currently no model available that is specific to the use of powders. Exposure to powders can be calculated with the help of the ‘spray model’, which has been developed for the spraying of (liquid) aerosols. The spray model describes the behaviour of a cloud of aerosol particles, but it can also be used to describe a cloud of solid particles, which is in this case a scattered powder.
Scenarios for consumer exposure
Abrasive powder is considered to be a ready-to-use product, since the consumer directly scatters the powder from the packaging to the surface that is to be cleaned. Therefore, there is no exposure considered from mixing and loading (4.1.3). Prud’homme de Lodder et al. (2006a) describes the cleaning of kitchen (gas) stoves, sinks and work tops, corresponding to a combined surface area of 0.5 m2 (approximately 0.16 m2 kitchen sink and 0.36 m2 gas stove). Directly after scattering, the consumer suspends the powder with some water and rubs the surfaces with a wet cloth. Dermal exposure is expected during rubbing via hand contact with the wet cloth. It is assumed that the consumer stays in the kitchen afterwards for at least 1 hour. Secondary exposure is not expected, because the treated surface is rubbed clean and dried afterwards and it is assumed not to be within the reach of small children.
Frequency
The previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a) prescribes a frequency default of 104 times per year, which was based on the 75th percentile derived in a study of Weegels (1997). However, new information has been collected (Table 9.2). A new default of 91 times per year is set specifically for the use of abrasive powders in the kitchen, as described in the consumer exposure scenario. The respective data collected from EPHECT and recalculated in Annex II provide a sufficient number of data points (144) to set the Q-factor to 4.
Table 9.2:
Overview of frequencies given for the use of abrasive powders according to different references
| Frequency (per year) | Quantified as | Cleaned surface | n | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | Default (2006) | Kitchen | n.a. | Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a |
| 295 | 75th percentile | Multiple | 12 | Weegels, 1997 |
| 104 | Typical | Undefined | n.a. | AISE, 2014 |
| 91 | 75th percentile | Kitchen | 144 | EPHECT, 2012; Annex II |
| 62 | 75th percentile | Multiple | 142 | EPHECT, 2012; Annex II |
| 97 | 75th percentile | Bathroom | 97 | EPHECT, 2012; Annex II |
| 55 | 75th percentile | Floor | 67 | EPHECT, 2012; Annex II |
| 44 | 75th percentile | Glass | 20 | EPHECT, 2012; Annex II |
9.1.1. Application: scattering
ConsExpo Web does not possess a specific model to simulate exposure from scattering powders (Delmaar & Schuur, 2016). Nonetheless, the inhalation–exposure to spray–spraying release model is parameterized in such a way that it can be adapted to assess inhalation exposure to non-volatile substances in abrasive powders as well. For the estimation of dermal exposure the dermal–direct product contact– constant rate loading model is used. The inhalation–exposure to spray–instantaneous release model is used to estimate inhalation exposure to volatile substances.
Spray duration
Spray duration is set equivalent to the duration of scattering the powder. From expert judgement sink and gas stove. The default is set to 1 min, but with a Q-factor of 1, because it is based on expert judgement.
Mass generation rate
Mass generation rate (g/s) is set equivalent to the amount of product (g) used for the cleaning task divided by the scatter duration (s). The previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a) prescribes a default of 36.9 g per min, which was calculated from the 75th percentile 36.9 g amount of powder used per cleaning task from a study by Weegels (1997). The scatter duration is 1 min (see above). Hence, 36.9 g powder per 60 s is being scattered, so that the previous default mass generation rate was set to 0.62 g/s. However, according to the new information collected from EPHECT and recalculated in Annex II, the 75th percentile of product amount required to clean a kitchen is 35 g. The new default for mass generation rate is therefore set to 0.58 g/s (note that the mass generation rate is derived from the amount used and the spray duration; if a longer or shorter duration of ‘spraying’ is used, change the mass generation rate accordingly). The Q-factor is 4, because of the availability of quantitative data (n=144) specifically collected for the amount of powder used in the kitchen.
Airborne fraction
The previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a) prescribes a default of 0.2, which refers to a surface spray with a particle size distribution for which the median diameter is ≥ 50 μm. No new data has become available for abrasive powders, so that the default remains unchanged at 0.2. The Q-factor is set to 1, as the default originally depended on expert judgement only.
Density – non-volatile
Abrasive powder products consist of 90–95% calcium carbonates (Table 9.1), which have a density of 2.93 g/cm3. The default therefore remains at 3 g/cm3 The Q-factor is 4, because the density of calcium carbonate is considered to be evident.
Initial particle distribution
No information is available on the particle size distributions of powders used to clean kitchens. However, the composition of powders that consist of fine talc and lime is quite similar to or the same as that of crack and crevice powders used as biocides against fleas and ants (ECHA, 2015a). The median particle diameter of crack and crevice powder is characterized as ‘less than 75 μm’. The default particle size distribution for abrasive kitchen powders in the previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a) was also derived from particle sizes of comparable biocidal powders (EC, 2002). Because more convincing data have not became available since the publication of the previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet, in 2006, the particle size of powders remains characterized as a lognormal distribution with a median of 75 µm and a C.V. of 0.6. Given the limited data, the Q-factor is 1.
Released mass
Released mass is interpreted here as the amount of abrasive powder scattered over the kitchen sink and gas stove. This has already been estimated at 35 g (mass generation rate). Therefore, the default released mass set to 35 g. The Q-factor is set to 4 accordingly.
Table 9.3:
Default values for estimating consumer exposure to abrasive powder during scattering
| Default value | Q-factor | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | |||
| Frequency | 91 per year | 4 | Annex II |
| Inhalation–exposure to spray–spraying | |||
| Spray duration1 | 1 min | 1 | See above |
| Exposure duration2 | 60 min | 1 | Scenario |
| Room volume1 | 15 m3 | 4 | Kitchen (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) |
| Room height1 | 2.5 m | 4 | Standard room height (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) |
| Ventilation rate2 | 2.5 per hour | 3 | Kitchen (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) |
| Mass generation rate1,4 | 0.58 g/s | 4 | See above |
| Airborne fraction1 | 0.2 | 1 | Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a |
| Density non- volatile1 | 3 g/cm3 | 4 | Calcium carbonate |
| Initial particle distribution | 75 µm | 1 | Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a |
| Median1 (C.V.)1 | (0.6) | ||
| Inhalation cut-off diameter1 | 15 µm | 3 | Delmaar & Schuur, 2016 |
| Inhalation–exposure to spray–instantaneous release | |||
| Released mass3 | 35 g | 4 | Annex II |
| Dermal–direct product contact–constant rate loading | |||
| Exposed area Contact rate Release duration | 225 cm2 2.8 mg/min 1 min | 3 2 1 | Inside of hand (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) Section 4.1.1 ‘Spray duration’ set equivalent to scattering duration |
1: Applies to non-volatile substances only
2: Applies to both volatile and non-volatile substances
3: Applies to volatile substances only
4: The mass generation rate is derived from the amount used and the spray duration; if a longer or shorter duration of ‘spraying’ is used, change the mass generation rate accordingly
9.1.2. Application: rubbing
The expected dermal exposure from rubbing a wetted surface with abrasive powder and a wet cloth is estimated as described in the generic scenario for surface treatment (4.2.2). Hence, the dermal–direct product contact–instant application loading model is used.
Product amount
In Annex II it is presented that to clean a kitchen with abrasive powder an amount of 35 g is used. The abrasive powder is rubbed in with a wet cloth. The surface is thus treated with water. In a small experiment it was observed that the surface is fully wet at 40 ml water per m2 (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a). The surface is 0.5 m2, so that the amount of water required to wet it is 20 ml. A product amount of 35 g is applied to the surface, so that the concentration of product in the water is 35 g / 20 ml = 1.75 g/ml. The volume of water that ends up on the inside of the hand by touching the wet cloth is calculated by multiplying a layer thickness 0.01 cm (ECHA, 2015a) by the exposed area of 225 cm2: 2.25 ml. The product amount that is subject to dermal exposure is calculated as 1.75 g/ml x 2.25 ml = 3.9 g. The default for the product amount available for dermal exposure is therefore 3.94 g. The Q-factor is set to 2, because the supporting quantitative data are limited.
Table 9.4:
Default values for estimating consumer exposure to abrasive powders during rubbing
| Default value | Q-factor | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | |||
| Frequency | 91 per year | 4 | Annex II |
| Dermal–direct product contact–instant application loading | |||
| Exposed area Product amount | 225 cm2 3.9 g | 3 2 | Inside hand (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) See above |
9.2. Abrasive liquids
Abrasive liquids are suspensions of solid abrasive particles in a viscous, (creamy) liquid matrix. The ingredients of general-purpose abrasive liquids are similar to those of abrasive powders with water added (Table 9.1), the mineral composition of such liquids also being mainly calcium carbonates.
Scenarios for consumer exposure
Abrasive liquids are considered to be a ready-to-use product, since the consumer directly applies the liquid to the surface to be cleaned by squeezing the bottle. Therefore, there is no exposure considered from mixing and loading (4.1.3). The surface to be cleaned is a kitchen sink and gas stove of 0.5 m2 (approximately 0.16 m2 kitchen sink and 0.36 m2 gas stove). Directly after application, the consumer starts to rub the surfaces with a wet cloth. Dermal exposure is expected during rubbing via hand contact with the wet cloth. Inhalation exposure is anticipated as well, since volatile substances may evaporate from the treated surface. It is assumed that the consumer stays in the kitchen afterwards for at least 1 hour. Secondary exposure is not expected, because the treated surface is cleaned and dried afterwards and it is assumed not to be within the reach of small children.
Frequency
The previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a) prescribes a default of 156 times per year. According to AISE (2014), respondents clean between 1 to 7 times per week, with a typical use frequency of 2 times per week. Weegels (1997) reports a 75th percentile frequency for the use of abrasives (powder and liquids) of 295 per year. Analysis of the EPHECT survey data (2012) shows a 75th percentile use frequency of abrasive liquids for kitchens of 135 per year, for bathrooms of 88 per year, for general purpose of 84 per year, for glass of 62 per year and for floors of 55 per year. Based on the more recent data and number of data points (n=144) in this scenario, the new default is set at 135 times per year. The Q-factor is 4, because the underlying datasets are large and the data were collected specifically to measure the use of abrasive liquids to clean the kitchen.
9.2.1. Application: rubbing
The expected exposure from rubbing a kitchen sink and stove with abrasive liquid is estimated as described in the generic scenario for surface treatment (4.2.2). Therefore, inhalation exposure is estimated using the inhalation–exposure to vapour–evaporation–increasing release area model, whereas for dermal exposure the dermal–direct product contact–instant application loading model is used.
Application duration
According to AISE (2014), the task duration of surface cleaning is 10–20 minutes. The new default value for cleaning the sink and gas stove with abrasives liquid is set at 20 min with a Q-factor of 3.
Product amount – inhalation
The previous Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a) prescribes a default of 37 g. AISE (2002) gives a range of 30–110 g (typical 60 g) for liquid surface cleaners. Weegels (1997) reports a 75th percentile of 36.9 g of abrasive per event. Analysis of EPHECT (2012) survey data shows 75th and 95th percentile use amounts of kitchen abrasive liquids of 32 and 76 g, respectively (Annex II). A new default of 32 g is set specifically for the use of abrasive liquids in the kitchen as described in the consumer exposure scenario. The respective data collected from EPHECT and recalculated in Annex II provide a sufficient number of data points (144) to set the Q-factor to 4.
Molecular weight matrix
According to the composition of abrasive liquids (Table 9.1), the water fraction is 0.4. Following the conservative approach, the default molecular weight matrix is calculated as the molecular weight of water (18 g/mol) divided by the fraction of water in the product (0.4), which yields 45 g/mol. The Q-factor is 2, because the supporting quantitative data are limited. The molecular weight matrix is calculated as 18 g/mol / 0.4 = 45 g/mol. The default is set at 45 g/mol with a Q-factor of 2.
Product amount – dermal
The abrasive liquid is rubbed with a wet cloth. The surface is thus treated with water. In a small experiment it was observed that the surface is fully wet at 40 ml water per m2 (Prud’homme de Lodder et al., 2006a). The surface is 0.5 m2, so that the amount of water required to wet it is 20 ml. The product amount applied on the surface is thus diluted with 20 ml water. The concentration in the water can then be calculated as 32 g / 20 ml = 1.6 g/ml. The volume of water that ends up on the inside of the hand by touching the wet cloth is calculated by multiplying a layer thickness of 0.01 cm (ECHA, 2015a) by the exposed area of 225 cm2: 2.25 ml. The product amount that is subject to dermal exposure is calculated as 1.6 g/ml x 2.25 ml = 3.6 g. The new default is set to 3.6 g. The Q-factor is set to 2, because the data supporting the calculation are limited.
Table 9.5:
Default values for estimating consumer exposure to abrasive liquid during rubbing
| Default value | Q-factor | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | |||
| Frequency | 135 per year | 4 | Annex II |
| Inhalation–exposure to vapour–evaporation–increasing release area | |||
| Exposure duration | 60 min | 1 | Scenario |
| Product amount | 32 g | 4 | Annex II |
| Room volume | 15 m3 | 4 | Kitchen (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) |
| Ventilation rate | 2.5 per Hour | 3 | Kitchen (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) |
| Release area | 0.5 m2 | 3 | Section 9.1.2 |
| Application duration | 20 min | 3 | See above |
| Application temperature | 20 °C | 4 | Room temperature |
| Mass transfer coefficient | 10 m/h | 2 | Section 4.2.2 |
| Molecular weight matrix | 45 g/mol | 2 | See above |
| Dermal–direct product contact–instant application loading | |||
| Exposed area Product amount | 225 cm2 3.6 g | 3 2 | Inside hand (Te Biesebeek et al., 2014) See above |
- Abrasives - Cleaning Products Fact Sheet: Default parameters for estimating cons...Abrasives - Cleaning Products Fact Sheet: Default parameters for estimating consumer exposure: Updated version 2018
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