Exposure to volatile organic compounds in healthcare settings.
Occup Environ Med
; 71(9): 642-50, 2014 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25011549
ABSTRACT
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 (â¼4900 and â¼1900â µg/m(3), personal and area), and 2-propanol had the highest GM among medical equipment preparers (â¼4600 and â¼2000â µg/m(3), personal and area). The highest total personal VOC exposures were among nursing assistants (â¼9200â µg/m(3)), licensed practical nurses (â¼8700â µg/m(3)) and medical equipment preparers (â¼7900â µg/m(3)). 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.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Exposição Ocupacional
/
Poluentes Ocupacionais do Ar
/
Compostos Orgânicos Voláteis
/
Hospitais de Veteranos
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Article