VOC exposures in a mixed-use university art building

Despite a sizable educational art enterprise in the United States there is a dearth of rigorously performed studies of exposures to persons engaged in such activities. Exposures to 45 EPA-designated volatile organic compounds were examined in printmakers in a mixed-use university art school served by a 100% exhausted mechanical ventilation system. Personal exposures (n = 90) were compared with area concentrations (n = 36) in the studio area and at a second location at the same facility. For personal exposure assessments a cohort of 12 students wore passive dosimeters twice weekly over a 6-week period. Numerous compounds were found, the most prevalent being toluene at an average concentration of 64.6 microg/m3 (17.1 ppb; range < 1-319 ppb); 1,1,1, trichloroethane at 40.5 microg/m3 (7.5 ppb; range < 1-211 ppb); xylenes at 8.0 microg/m3 (1.8 ppb; range < 1-43 ppb); 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene at 6.2 microg/m3 (1.3 ppb; range < .3-32 ppb); propyl benzene at 5.0 microg/m3 (1.0 ppb; range < .5-27 ppb); methylene chloride at 4.9 microg/m3 (1.4 ppb; range < 1-10 ppb); and ethyl benzene at 4.5 microg/m3 (1.1 ppb; range < .4-23 ppb). Personal exposures were considerably higher than average area air concentrations, with the exception of methylene chloride concentrations, which were five times higher at the print cleaning operation. Floors where solvents were not used had no detectable exposures (typical lower limit of detection approximately 1 ppb) and were free of solvent odors. Despite frequent solvent contact with skin, personal protective equipment was seldom used. Results indicate that in mixed-use facilities such as this, nonrecirculating general ventilation systems can effectively eliminate indoor air quality issues between floors, despite perceptible odors on solvent use floors. For total exposure assessments in such processes, contact exposures from printmaking solvents during cleaning procedures are a potentially important consideration.