The influence of personal activities on exposure to volatile organic compounds

Journal Article · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Environmental Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-9351(89)80047-7· OSTI ID:5230986

Wallace, L A; Pellizzari, E D; Hartwell, T D; Davis, V; Michael, L C; Whitmore, R W ^[1]

---

1. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (USA)

Seven persons volunteered to perform 25 common activities thought to increase personal exposure to volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) during a 3-day monitoring period. Personal, indoor, and outdoor air samples were collected on Tenax cartridges three times per day (evening, overnight, and daytime) and analyzed by GC-MS for 17 target VOCs. Samples of exhaled breath were also collected before and after each monitoring period. About 20 activities resulted in increasing exposure to one or more of the target VOCs, often by factors of 10, sometimes by factors of 100, compared to exposures during the sleep period. These concentrations were far above the highest observed outdoor concentrations during the length of the study. Breath levels were often significantly correlated with previous personal exposures. Major exposures were associated with use of deodorizers (p-dichlorobenzene); washing clothes and dishes (chloroform); visiting a dry cleaners (1,1,1-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene); smoking (benzene, styrene); cleaning a car engine (xylenes, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethylene); painting and using paint remover (n-decane, n-undecane); and working in a scientific laboratory (many VOCs). Continuously elevated indoor air levels of p-dichlorobenzene, trichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, decane, and undecane were noted in several homes and attributed to unknown indoor sources. Measurements of exhaled breath suggested biological residence times in tissue of 12-18 hr and 20-30 hr for 1,1,1-trichloroethane and p-dichlorobenzene, respectively.

• OSTI ID: 5230986
• Journal Information: Environmental Research; (USA), Journal Name: Environmental Research; (USA) Vol. 50:1; ISSN ENVRA; ISSN 0013-9351
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ALKANES
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
BENZENE
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DECANE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROCARBONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MAMMALS
MAN
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MATTER
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PRIMATES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROSCOPY
STYRENE
VERTEBRATES
VOLATILE MATTER
XYLENES