Environmental and health risks of indoor liquid crystal monomer emissions and pathways to preventive strategies

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has embedded liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in nearly every indoor environment, leading to chemical exposure from the emission of semi-volatile liquid crystal monomers (LCMs). Despite growing concern, the environmental and health risks of these emissions remain poorly understood. Here, we assess LCM exposure across 587 real-world environments and multiple simulated scenarios, including workplaces, classrooms, and households. We find that occupational settings pose the highest risks to adults, while multifunctional classrooms and high-performance LCD-equipped households may also endanger children. Quantitative guidelines derived from our analysis suggest that LCD screen area should not exceed 0.041 m² per m² of room space for adults or 0.0032 m² per m² for children. In addition, daily ventilation of at least five hours effectively reduces exposure in most scenarios. By combining environmental-health science with environmental social science perspectives, this work highlights how the social organization of digital life shapes indoor exposure risks and how preventive strategies can inform healthier spaces. These insights provide a pathway to safeguard human well-being while aligning technological innovation with sustainable development.