Elimination of volatile organic compounds in breath after exposure to occupational and environmental microenvironments

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Esposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:7222461

Raymer, J H; Pellizzari, E D; Thomas, K W; Cooper, S D ^[1]

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1. Analytical and Chemical Sciences, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

Breath measurements offer the potential for a direct and noninvasive evaluation of human exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the environments in which people live and work. This research study was conducted to further evaluate and develop the potential of this exposure assessment methodology. Several people were exposed to the atmosphere in six microenvironments for several hours. Air concentrations of VOCs were measured during these exposures and breath samples were collected and analyzed at multiple time points after the exposure to evaluate elimination kinetics for 21 VOCs. A new alveolar breath collection technique was applied. Elimination half-lives were estimated using a mono- and bi-exponential model. The alveolar breath collection and analysis methodology proved to be very useful for collecting many samples in short time intervals and this capability was very important for more accurately describing the initial phase of the decay curves. Breath decay curves were generated from samples collected over a four hour period after exposure for 21 of 24 target VOCs. A biexponential function generally provided a better fit for the decay data than did the monoexponential function, supporting a multi-compartment uptake and elimination model for the human body.

• OSTI ID: 7222461
• Journal Information: Journal of Esposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Esposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology; (United States) Vol. 1:4; ISSN 1053-4245; ISSN JEAEE
• 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
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INHALATION
INTAKE
MAMMALS
MAN
MATTER
METABOLISM
MONITORING
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PRIMATES
VERTEBRATES
VOLATILE MATTER