Human exposure to volatile organic compounds: a comparison of organic vapor monitoring badge levels with blood levels

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aldous K ; Almaguer, Daniel ; Ashley D ; Mannino, David M. ; Moolenaar R ; Schreiber J
• Description:
  A nonrandom group of 40 volunteers participated in a study to determine the level of correlation between three methods of sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOC): organic vapor badges, charcoal tubes, and blood VOC levels. Each of 40 volunteers provided blood samples for analysis. Nineteen subjects wore organic vapor badges for at least 5 hours, and 24 subjects provided personal breathing zone samples captured on charcoal tubes. Subjects were exposed to gasoline (8006619) fumes while working around automobiles or as city commuters. The highest level of correlation with blood VOC levels was observed with the organic vapor badges. Methyl-tert- butyl-ether (1634044) (MTBE) was observed in the blood of 15 of 19 subjects. The organic vapor cartridges detected MTBE in nine of 15 subjects, while the charcoal tubes detect MTBE in one of 13 subjects. The nine subjects with detectable MTBE levels (using badges) were either automotive mechanics or gasoline pumpers. Toluene (108883) and o-xylene (95476) were detected in the blood of all participants. The organic vapor badges detected toluene and o- xylene in 18 of 19 subjects, while the charcoal tube detected toluene and o-xylene in nine of 14 subjects. Organic vapor badges were also more sensitive in detecting low levels of VOCs compared to charcoal tubes. The authors suggest that organic vapor badges may be a convenient means of determining exposure levels of VOCs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Benzene Environmental Monitoring Epidemiology Hematologic Tests Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Vehicle Emissions
• Keywords:
  Air-samplers Air-sampling-equipment Author Keywords: Vapor Badge Automotive-emissions Blood-analysis NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Organic-vapors Sampling-methods Volatile Organic Compound Volatiles

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• ISSN:
  0340-0131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  59-64
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00227759
• Citation:
  Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1995 Mar; 67(1):59-64
• Contact Point Address:
  D.M Mannino, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, Mail Stop F-39, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA
• CAS Registry Number:
  o-Xylene (CAS RN 95-47-6) ; tert-Butyl methyl ether (CAS RN 1634-04-4) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:22695cd46b1316dd315a579b570320a39b82d997eb5180e55f2a2d484871671afa7991538678d865453d4cef6df7f93ba4048c49cd4d96dccdeb4fad635af266
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204860/cdc_204860_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 489.98 KB ]