Worker Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds in the Vehicle Repair Industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hammond SK ; Hubbard AE ; Nicas M ; Wilson MP
• Description:
  This study evaluated exposures among vehicle repair technicians to hexane, acetone, toluene, and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs). On randomly selected workdays, we observed a characteristic pattern of solvent use among 36 technicians employed in 10 repair shops, each of which used an aerosol solvent product. We obtained quantitative exposure measurements from a subset of nine technicians (employed in three of these shops) who used an aerosol product containing hexane (25-35%), acetone (45-55%), and toluene (5-10%). The time-weighted average (TWA) exposure concentration for task-length breathing zone (BZ) samples (n = 23) was 36 mg/m3 for hexane, 50 mg/m3 for acetone, and 10 mg/m3 for toluene. The TWA area concentrations (n = 49) obtained contemporaneously with BZ samples ranged from 25% to 35% of the BZ concentrations. The solvent emission rate (grams emitted/task time) was correlated with the total VOC exposure concentration (R2 = 0.45). The proportions of VOCs in the BZ samples were highly correlated (r = 0.89 to 0.95) and were similar to those of the bulk product. Continuous exposure measurements for total VOCs (n = 1238) during 26 tasks produced a mean BZ VOC "pulse" of 394 mg/m3 within 1 min following initiation of solvent spraying. The geometric mean air speed was 5.2 meters/min in the work areas (n = 870) and was associated with 0.8 air changes per minute in the BZ. The findings suggest that vehicle repair technicians who use aerosol solvent products experience episodic, inhalation exposures to the VOCscontained in these products, and the proportions ofVOCs in the breathing zone are similar to those of the bulk product. Because acetone appears to amplify the severity and duration of the neurotoxic effects of n-hexane, products formulated with both hexane and acetone should be avoided. Further evaluation of exposures to VOCs is needed in this industry, along with information on effective alternatives to aerosol solvent products. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Chemistry Demography Environmental Monitoring Hypersensitivity Immune System Inhalation Exposure Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Solvents Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Author Keywords: Automotive Repair Biological-effects Chemical-deposition Chemical-hypersensitivity Chemical-properties Demographic-characteristics Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-methods Exposure Assessment Fumes Hexane Immune-reaction Immunochemistry Inhalants Inhalation-studies Injury-prevention Mechanical-cleaning Mechanics Medical-surveys Medical-treatment Nervous-system-disorders Neurological-reactions Neurological-system Neurotoxic-effects Neurotoxicity Neurotoxins Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Organic-chemicals Organic Solvents Physiological-effects Physiological-response Quantitative-analysis Risk-analysis Risk-factors Solvent-vapors Statistical-analysis Volatile Organic Compounds Work-areas Work-environment Work-practices

  More +
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  301-310
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037256
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2007 Mar; 4(5):301-310
• Contact Point Address:
  Michael P. Wilson, School of Public Health, 140 Earl Warren Hall #7360, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360
• Email:
  mpwilson@berkeley.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:67e0bd4e65bac99f431484f9c591a4d1cab9a2d679cb84a365a76c1e45b17d035c03d4188b658a872b176a771f0c53cdbed09726f07c9432c5eb2bf75fe4b6d4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188373/cdc_188373_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.42 MB ]