Health risk assessment of workers' exposure to BTEX and PM during refueling in an urban fuel station.

The proximity of fuel stations to the roads and the activities inside the station can contribute to PM and VOCs and impose health risks on station workers. The study presents the exposure and health risk assessment of the fuel station personnel to total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and particulate matter (PM) during refueling operations. TVOCs and PM monitoring were carried out at a fuel station in Chennai, India, for 1 week in March 2021, covering both weekdays and weekends. The health risks were assessed using EPA's health impact assessment methodology. Exposure to TVOCs (3177.39 ± 5450.32 µg/m3) exceeded the EPA standard of 5 µg/m3, by more than 500 times, peaking during refueling operations. The average concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were 76.55 ± 23.08 µg/m3, 41.81 ± 9 µg/m3, and 30.38 ± 7.56 µg/m3, respectively. The concentrations were observed to be high during morning and evening hours due to the increased traffic on the adjacent road and inside the fuel station. The synergistic health risks linked with long-term exposure to high concentrations of BTEX and PM were also estimated. At the fuel station, a significant contribution to the SOA formation potential was shown by toluene, followed by m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, and benzene. Furthermore, the deposition of airborne particles in the workers' respiratory tract was calculated using the Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry model while considering the daily average exposure duration of 12 h. The results showed that 59% of PM10 particles were deposited in the head region, whereas 11% and 10% of PM2.5 and PM1 particles were deposited in the pulmonary region. Hence, the health risk assessment indicated no non-cancer risk of exposure to PM (hazard quotient = 0.13) to station personnel exposed regularly for 1 year. However, prolonged exposure to VOCs for more than 1 year can result in both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk (hazard quotient = 0.045 and cancer risk > 10-6) in workers.

Evaluating of IAQ-Index and TVOC Parameter-Based Sensors for Hazardous Gases Detection and Alarming Systems.

The measurement of air quality parameters for indoor environments is of increasing importance to provide sufficient safety conditions for workers, especially in places including dangerous chemicals and materials such as laboratories, factories, and industrial locations. Indoor air quality index (IAQ-index) and total volatile organic Compounds (TVOC) are two important parameters to measure air impurities or air pollution. Both parameters are widely used in gases sensing applications. In this paper, the IAQ-index and TVOCs have been investigated to identify the best and most flexible solution for air quality threshold selection of hazardous/toxic gases detection and alarming systems. The TVOCs from the SGP30 gas sensor and the IAQ-index from the SGP40 gas sensor were tested with 12 different organic solvents. The two gas sensors are combined with an IoT-based microcontroller for data acquisition and data transfer to an IoT-cloud for further processing, storing, and monitoring purposes. Extensive tests of both sensors were carried out to determine the minimum detectable volume depending on the distance between the sensor node and the leakage source. The test scenarios included static tests in a classical chemical hood, as well as tests with a mobile robot in an automated sample preparation laboratory with different positions.

BT100, a three-in-one, multipurpose disinfecting, deodorizing, and air-cleaning solution with an effective, gradual, and continuous gaseous chlorine dioxide-releasing substance.

Aerosols carrying viruses that are released from the oral cavity of infected individuals are the primary, if not the only, means of transmission during viral respiratory disease epidemics. This makes crowded rooms and tiny, enclosed public areas like bathrooms prime environments for the transmission of diseases. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde are two contaminants that pose serious threats to human health and well-being in indoor environments. The varied disinfectant properties of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) make it a key player in treating a range of air quality issues. To balance effectiveness and safety, however, the careful application of chlorine dioxide is essential to achieving the best results in air quality while preserving human health and well-being. This study explores the many functions of chlorine dioxide, including the prevention of the spread of viruses, the elimination of harmful gases like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, and its effects on formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) in indoor environments using BT100. The results indicate a reduction of 98.5%, 81.01%, 62.22%, 46.5%, and 63.84% in minimizing aerosolized viruses, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide gas in addition to formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds.

Substantial Changes in Selected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Associations with Health Risk Assessments in Industrial Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in many countries worldwide, including India, imposed several restriction measures, including lockdowns, to prevent the spread of the infection. COVID-19 lockdowns led to a reduction in gaseous and particulate pollutants in ambient air. In the present study, we investigated the substantial changes in selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and associations with health risk assessments in industrial areas. VOC data from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021 were collected from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website, to identify percentage changes in VOC levels before, during, and after COVID-19. The mean TVOC levels at all monitoring stations were 47.22 ± 30.15, 37.19 ± 37.19, and 32.81 ± 32.81 µg/m3 for 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. As a result, the TVOC levels gradually declined in consecutive years due to the pandemic in India. The mean TVOC levels at all monitoring stations declined from 9 to 61% during the pandemic period as compared with the pre-pandemic period. In the current study, the T/B ratio values ranged from 2.16 (PG) to 26.38 (NL), which indicated that the major pollutant contributors were traffic and non-traffic sources during the pre-pandemic period. The present findings indicated that TVOC levels had positive but low correlations with SR, BP, RF, and WD, with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.034, 0.118, 0.012, and 0.007, respectively, whereas negative correlations were observed with AT and WS, with correlation coefficients (r) of -0.168 and -0.150, respectively. The lifetime cancer risk (LCR) value for benzene was reported to be higher in children, followed by females and males, for the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. A nationwide scale-up of this study's findings might be useful in formulating future air pollution reduction policies associated with a reduction in health risk factors. Furthermore, the present study provides baseline data for future studies on the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the air quality of a region.

Temporary reduction in VOCs associated with health risk during and after COVID-19 in Maharashtra, India.

A novel coronavirus has affected almost all countries and impacted the economy, environment, and social life. The short-term impact on the environment and human health needs attention to correlate the Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and health assessment for pre-, during, and post lockdowns. Therefore, the current study demonstrates VOC changes and their effect on air quality during the lockdown. The findings of result, the levels of the mean for total VOC concentrations were found to be 15.45 ± 21.07, 2.48 ± 1.61, 19.25 ± 28.91 µg/m3 for all monitoring stations for pre-, during, and post lockdown periods. The highest value of TVOCs was observed at Thane, considered an industrial region (petroleum refinery), and the lowest at Bandra, which was considered a residential region, respectively. The VOC levels drastically decreased by 52%, 89%, 80%, and 97% for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene, respectively, during the lockdown period compared to the previous year. In the present study, the T/B ratio was found lower in the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period. This can be attributed to the complete closure of non-traffic sources such as industries and factories during the lockdown. The Lifetime Cancer Risk values for all monitoring stations for benzene for pre-and-post lockdown periods were higher than the prescribed value, except during the lockdown period. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10874-022-09440-5.

Smart-Autonomous Wireless Volatile Organic Compounds Sensor Node for Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Application.

Several studies reported the significant effect of indoor air quality on human health, safety, productivity, and comfort because most humans usually conduct 80%-90% of their activity inside the building. This is generally due to the fact that indoor pollution is associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pollutants with chronic health effects, both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic, on humans. Therefore, this study focused on developing wireless VOCs sensor nodes with a low-power strategy feature to perform an autonomous operation in indoor air quality monitoring (IAQM). The sensor node mainboard consists of a microcontroller-based AVR (ATmega-4808) that supports a low power mode and low-power IAQ-Core sensor for VOCs detection. The low-power sensing algorithm developed also allowed the sensor node to consume a total power of 0.22 mAh for one cycle of operation, which includes the initial process, TVOCs value reading process, data transmitting process, and low power mode process at a time interval of 30 min. The most significant power was observed to be consumed in the data transmitting process with 0.13 mAh or 58% of total power consumption in one cycle of sensor node operation. Furthermore, the 10F capacitance of the supercapacitor was able to drive the VOCs sensor node for 139 s and it was recommended that further studies use micro energy harvesting (from an indoor environment) to extend its lifetime. The 1541-minute field experiment conducted also showed that TVOCs and CO2 values were successfully measured and displayed over an internet connection on the monitoring terminal dashboard. The recorded real-time TVOCs value of 175 ppb (<200 ppb) indicates good air quality.

Mitigation of indoor air pollutants using Areca palm potted plants in real-life settings.

Deterioration of indoor air quality (IAQ) has become a serious concern as people spend lots of time indoors and prolonged pollution exposure can result in adverse health outcomes. Indoor plants can phytoremediate a wide variety of indoor contaminants. Nonetheless, few experiments have demonstrated their efficacy in real-time environments. Therefore, the present study aims to experimentally assess the efficiency of Areca palm potted plants in phytoremediation of primary indoor air pollutant viz. total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) levels from real-world indoor spaces, for the first time. Four discrete naturally ventilated experimental sites (I-IV) situated at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) were used. For over a period of 4 months, the sites were monitored using zero plants as a control (1-4 week), three plants (5-8 week), six plants (9-12 week), and nine plants (13-16 week), respectively. Present results indicate that Areca palm potted plants can effectively reduce the TVOCs, CO2, and CO levels by 88.16% in site IV, 52.33% and 95.70% in site III, respectively. The current study concluded that Areca palm potted plants offer an efficient, cost-effective, self-regulating, sustainable solution for improving indoor air quality and thereby human well-being and productivity in closed and confined spaces.

Non-Combustible Source Indoor Air Pollutants Concentration in Beauty Salons and Associated Self-Reported Health Problems Among the Beauty Salon Workers.

BACKGROUND: Cosmetic products emits Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) and Particulate Matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometers (PM10) of different sizes and characteristics with adverse health effects. Despite the increasing need for cosmetic products, related pollutants level of concentration from beauty salon is not well understood in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess indoor air pollutant concentrations in the beauty salon and self-reported health problems among the salon workers in Jimma town. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used on 87 beauty salons from May 13-24, 2019. The concentrations of PM10, TVOCs, CO2, room temperature, and relative humidity were measured and triangulated with the survey data collected through measurements and questionnaires. A statistical software package, SPSS v.21, was used to analyze the data. A binary logistic regression was used to analyze categorical data and linear regressions to predict pollutants level and associated health outcomes. RESULTS: The results show that 93.1% of the respondents are females, and 85% were below 30 years old. More than 60% of the respondents were married individuals. 56.3% and 44.8% of the workers work over 10 hours per day and work the whole week. 34.6% of the workers reported as worked during pregnancy. About 70% of the workers know the harmful effects of cosmetics, benefits of ventilation, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use, but only 19.4% use face masks. The majority (88.5%) reported health problems after starting work in the beauty salon. The mean volume of the beauty salon was 36.3 m3, with a mean PM10 concentration of 0.465 mg/m3 and a mean TVOC concentration of 1034.2 µg/m3. These air pollutants have shown a statistically significant association with self-reported health problems. Hence, urgent intervention with subsequent continuous awareness creation is needed to reduce the health consequences of a beauty salon's indoor air pollutants.

Indoor air quality in health clubs: Impact of occupancy and type of performed activities on exposure levels.

Associations between indoor air quality (IAQ) and health in sport practise environments are not well understood due to limited knowledge of magnitude of inhaled pollutants. Thus, this study assessed IAQ in four health clubs (HC1-HC4) and estimated inhaled doses during different types of activities. Gaseous (TVOCs, CO, O3, CO2) and particulate pollutants (PM1, PM4) were continuously collected during 40 days. IAQ was influenced both by human occupancy and the intensity of the performed exercises. Levels of all pollutants were higher when clubs were occupied (p < 0.05) than for vacant periods, with higher medians in main workout areas rather than in spaces/studios for group activities. In all spaces, TVOCs highly exceeded legislative limit (600 µg/m3), even when unoccupied, indicating possible risks for the respective occupants. CO2 levels were well correlated with relative humidity (rs 0.534-0.625) and occupancy due to human exhalation and perspiration during exercising. Clubs with natural ventilations exhibited twice higher PM, with PM1 accounting for 93-96% of PM4; both PM were highly correlated (rs 0.936-0.995) and originated from the same sources. Finally, cardio classes resulted in higher inhalation doses than other types of exercising (1.7-2.6).

Exposure to Inhalable Dust, Endotoxin, and Total Volatile Organic Carbons on Dairy Farms Using Manual and Automated Feeding Systems.

INTRODUCTION: Agricultural workers tend to have high exposures to organic dusts which may induce or exacerbate respiratory disorders. Studies investigating the effect of work tasks and farm characteristics on organic dust exposures among farm workers suggest that handling of animal feed is an important exposure determinant; however, the effect of the animal feeding system has not been explored in any detail. OBJECTIVES: To measure the exposure of Irish dairy farmers to inhalable dust, endotoxin, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) during parlour work and to explore whether levels of exposure to these agents depend on the applied feeding system in the farms. METHODS: Thirty-eight personal exposure measurements were collected from farmers across seven dairy farms. The farms used manual, loft, or semi-automated feeding systems. Information on worker tasks and farm characteristics was collected during the surveys. Associations between exposure concentrations and feeding systems, worker tasks, and other farm characteristics were explored in linear mixed-effect regression models with farmer identity treated as a random effect. RESULTS: Exposure concentrations were variable and had a geometric mean (GM; geometric standard deviation) of 1.5 mg m-3 (1.8) for inhalable dust and 128 EU m-3 (2.5) for endotoxin. More than 50% of the exposure measurements for endotoxin, and organic dust exceeded recommended health-based occupational exposure limits. Endotoxin levels were somewhat lower in farms using semi-automatic feeding systems when compared to those using manual feeding systems but in multivariate regression analysis associations were not statistically significant (ß = -0.54, P = 0.4). Performance of activities related to handling and spreading of hay or straw was the strongest determinant for both inhalable dust and endotoxin exposure (ß = 0.78, P ≤ 0.001; ß = 0.72, P = 0.02, respectively). The level of dust exposure increased also as a consequence of a lower outdoor temperature, and higher ratio of distributed feed per cow (P = 0.01). Stationary measurements of TVOC and CO2 concentrations inside the dairy parlours had a GM of 180 ppb (1.9) and 589 ppb (1.3), respectively. The use of cow teat disinfectants and building ventilation were both strong predictors of TVOC concentrations within parlours. CONCLUSIONS: Dairy farm workers can be exposed to high and variable levels of inhalable dust and endotoxin and may be at risk of respiratory disease. Results from this study suggest that exposure control strategies for organic dusts and TVOCs exposures should consider building ventilation and work tasks such as spreading of bedding material, using spray disinfectants and animal feeding. Until effective permanent engineering controls are established farm workers should be encouraged to wear respiratory protective equipment during these tasks.