Details:

Alternative Title:
Occup Environ Med
Publisher's site:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2014-102080
Personal Author:
LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Virji, M. Abbas ; Saito, Rena ; Henneberger, Paul K. ; Simcox, Nancy ; ... More +
LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Virji, M. Abbas ; Saito, Rena ; Henneberger, Paul K. ; Simcox, Nancy ; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B. ; Less -
Description:
Objectives To identify and summarise volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure profiles of healthcare occupations. Methods Personal (n=143) and mobile area (n=207) evacuated canisters were collected and analysed by a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer to assess exposures to 14 VOCs among 14 healthcare occupations in five hospitals. Participants were volunteers identified by their supervisors. Summary statistics were calculated by occupation. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the 14 analyte inputs to five orthogonal factors and identify occupations that were associated with these factors. Linear regressions were used to assess the association between personal and mobile area samples. Results Exposure profiles differed among occupations; ethanol had the highest geometric mean (GM) among nursing assistants (~4900 and ~1900 μg/m3, personal and area), and 2-propanol had the highest GM among medical equipment preparers (~4600 and ~2000 μg/m3, personal and area). The highest total personal VOC exposures were among nursing assistants (~9200 μg/m3), licensed practical nurses (~8700 μg/m3) and medical equipment preparers (~7900 μg/m3). The influence of the PCA factors developed from personal exposure estimates varied by occupation, which enabled a comparative assessment of occupations. For example, factor 1, indicative of solvent use, was positively correlated with clinical laboratory and floor stripping/waxing occupations and tasks. Overall, a significant correlation was observed (r=0.88) between matched personal and mobile area samples, but varied considerably by analyte (r=0.23–0.64). Conclusions Healthcare workers are exposed to a variety of chemicals that vary with the activities and products used during activities. These VOC profiles are useful for estimating exposures for occupational hazard ranking for industrial hygienists as well as epidemiological studies.
Subject:
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Air Pollutants, Occupational
Environmental Monitoring
Health Personnel
Hospitals, Veterans
Humans
Occupational Exposure
Principal Component Analysis
Regression Analysis
Volatile Organic Compounds

Source:
Occup Environ Med. 71(9):642-650. ;
Pubmed ID:
25011549
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC4591534
Document Type:
Journal Article ;
Funding:
KLB9/Intramural CDC HHS/United States ;
Place as Subject:
United States ;
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:73e3a7122c5f55f5ab1d68f657506f36024d9c7d6733dcbff1068f19b87134b7
File Type:

Supporting Files

• 	NIHMS714328-supplement-appendix.pdf	pdf
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