Human health risk assessment of trihalomethanes in outdoor swimming pool waters in Montenegro

OBJECTIVES: This paper deals with the characterization of outdoor swimming pool waters to study the occurrence of trihalomethanes (THMs) and to assess the health risk of THMs exposure for three population groups (male, female, and children). The concentration of total THMs and individual species (chloroform, bromodichloromethane (BDCM), dibromochloromethane (DBCM), and bromoform) were monitored during the seven months of 2022 in outdoor swimming pools in the coastal area of Montenegro. METHODS: A total of 73 water samples from outdoor swimming pools were collected and tested for the content of THMs using an Agilent 7890 A GC. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks of total THMs and each species were assessed through lifetime cancer risk (CR) and hazard index (HI), respectively. Health risk assessment was assessed through the oral and dermal exposure pathways. RESULTS: for all population groups. On the other hand, CR via ingestion values were meagre, HI values of total THMs exposure for three population groups were calculated to be below 1. CONCLUSION: There is no non-carcinogenic risk for the children population while male and female populations were faced with non-carcinogenic health risk of total THMs exposure. On the other hand, all investigated population groups were faced with unacceptable cancer health risks and dermal contact was recognized as the main exposure route for all investigated populations.