posted on 2022-12-19, 16:38authored byY Lan Pham, Wojciech Wojnowski, Jonathan Beauchamp
Stereolithography
three-dimensional printing is used
increasingly
in biomedical applications to create components for use in healthcare
and therapy. The exposure of patients to volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) emitted from cured resins represents an element of concern
in such applications. Here, we investigate the biocompatibility in
relation to inhalation exposure of volatile emissions of three different
cured commercial resins for use in printing a mouthpiece adapter for
sampling exhaled breath. VOC emission rates were estimated based on
direct analysis using a microchamber/thermal extractor coupled to
a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer. Complementary analyses
using comprehensive gas chromatography–mass spectrometry aided
compound identification. Major VOCs emitted from the cured resins
were associated with polymerization agents, additives, and postprocessing
procedures and included alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons,
esters, and terpenes. Total VOC emissions from cubes printed using
the general-purpose resin were approximately an order of magnitude
higher than those of the cubes printed using resins dedicated to biomedical
applications at the respective test temperatures (40 and 25 °C).
Daily inhalation exposures were estimated and compared with daily
tolerable intake levels or standard thresholds of toxicological concerns.
The two resins intended for biomedical applications were deemed suitable
for fabricating an adapter mouthpiece for use in breath research.
The general-purpose resin was unsuitable, with daily inhalation exposures
for breath sampling applications at 40 °C estimated at 310 μg
day–1 for propylene glycol (tolerable intake (TI)
limit of 190 μg day–1) and 1254 μg day–1 for methyl acrylate (TI of 43 μg day–1).