VOC concentrations measured in personal samples and residential indoor, outdoor and workplace microenvironments in EXPOLIS-Helsinki, Finland

Thirty target volatile organic compounds (VOC) were analyzed in personal 48 -h exposure samples and residential indoor, residential outdoor and workpla ce indoor microenvironment samples as a component of EXPOLIS-Helsinki, Finl and. Geometric mean residential indoor concentrations were higher than geom etric mean residential outdoor concentrations for all target compounds exce pt hexane, which was detected in 40% of residential outdoor samples and 11% of residential indoor samples, respectively. Geometric mean residential in door concentrations were significantly higher than personal exposure concen trations, which in turn were significantly higher than workplace concentrat ions for compounds that had strong residential indoor sources (d-limonene, alpha pinene, 3-carene, hexanal, 2-methyl-1-propanol and 1-butanol). 40% of participants in EXPOLIS- Helsinki reported personal exposure to environmen tal tobacco smoke (ETS). Participants in Helsinki that were exposed to ETS at any time during the 48-h sampling period had significantly higher person al exposures to benzene, toluene, styrene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene. ethylbenze ne and trimethylbenzene. Geometric mean ETS-free workplace concentrations w ere higher than ETS-free personal exposure concentrations for styrene, hexa ne and cyclohexane. Geometric mean personal exposures of participants not e xposed to ETS were approximately equivalent to time weighted ETS-free indoo r and workplace concentrations, except for octanal and compounds associated with traffic, which showed higher geometric mean personal exposure concent rations than any microenvironment (o-xylene, ethylbenzene, benzene, undecan e, nonane, decane, m,p-xylene, and trimethylbenzene). Considerable differen ces in personal exposure concentrations and residential levels of compounds with mainly indoor sources suggested differences in product types or the f requency of product use between Helsinki, Germany and the United States. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.