Self-Leveling Floors: A New Potential Source of Bisphenol Compounds for Human Exposure

Abstract

Self-leveling floors are increasingly common in public areas for their excellent performance, but there is limited information regarding harmful chemicals in these materials, and their health risks are limited. This study investigated ten bisphenol compounds in self-leveling floors and the dust on their surfaces, revealing total concentrations in the range of 14.5–1.82 × 10⁶ and 317–1.39 × 10⁵ μg/kg, respectively. Bisphenol A constituted a median of 99.7% and 97.7% of the total concentrations found in the floor and dust, respectively. These chemicals likely originated from intentional use in either floor coatings or as impurities. The bisphenols released from the flooring may significantly contribute to contamination of the dust. Additionally, the estimated human exposure levels to bisphenols A and F from floor dust were found to be higher than those from other indoor dust and related products. Our results indicate that self-leveling floors could be a significant source of human exposure to bisphenols; however, the noncarcinogenic risks associated with bisphenol-laden dust seem to be within acceptable limits. More research is needed to investigate the presence of chemicals in self-leveling floors and their health implications as it is likely that various harmful chemicals are present in these materials.