Exposure to organic solvents among car painters in Bergen, Norway

Car painters are exposed to organic solvents during their work. Several set s of official regulations have therefore been adopted in Norway in recent y ears to reduce the exposure, This study evaluated some of the effects of th ese regulations, by measuring the levels of exposure to organic solvents in six car-painting garages and relating them to the limit values in Norway, Both stationary and personal monitoring were performed. In addition, the oc currence of acute symptoms in the nervous system, skin and upper airways, t he use of personal protective equipment and the workers' satisfaction with the ventilation were determined using the results of a questionnaire survey among the car painters from 11 car-painting garages (N = 28), A control gr oup of unexposed workers (N = 18) was used for comparison. All air samples showed low levels of exposure, far below the limit values. The highest leve ls were found for toluene; about half the limit value in two garages (11.5 and 12.5 ppm). No significant difference was found between the exposed and unexposed workers in the frequency of acute symptoms. Most workers reported to always use gloves, overalls and respiratory protective equipment during the car painting, The study indicates that the exposure to organic solvent s is low in the examined car-painting garages, and the risk of adverse heal th effects related to organic solvents is probably low in these workplaces. (C) 2000 British Occupational Hygiene Society. Published by Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.