175166 Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds in Hardwood Floor Finishers in the Boston area

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Lenore S. Azaroff, ScD , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Susan Shepherd, ScD , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Fredrick Youngs, PhD , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Hoa Mai Nguyen, MA , Vietnamese Occupational Health Initiative, Vietnamese-American Initiative for Development, Dorchester, MA
Homero Harari , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Brad A. Schugardt , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Fredrick Wafula , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Susan Woskie, PhD , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
The floorfinishing industry employs many immigrants from a variety of backgrounds, especially Vietnamese. Fires and explosions have killed three floor finishers in the Boston area since 2004 and seriously injured several others, which has led to initiatives to halt the use of flammable products.

The aim of the study was to provide descriptive data about the levels of respiratory exposure to VOCs among some hardwood floor finishers in the Boston area. Another aim of the study was to examine the hypothesis that respiratory exposure to VOCs is significantly reduced for workers using water-borne hardwood floor finishing products versus those using solvent-borne products.

Personal active sampling with charcoal tubes was performed in 17 hardwood floor finishers in nine different sites around the Boston area. Complementary sampling was also conducted in most of the sites.

The active samples were analyzed based in a NIOSH standard method and expressed as Total VOCs.

Results showed concentrations in the samples between 0.4 – 2 ppm using “water based” finishers while concentrations varied between 40 – 111 ppm with “oil based” products.

This would suggest a higher respiratory exposure while using “oil based” than “water based” finishers. In addition, was noted that personal protective equipment was not used, regardless of the products used.

This pilot study established the feasibility of conducting field assessments in an understudied industry and has produced some of the few quantitative data on respiratory exposures. More research is needed to fully characterize exposures and to promote feasible preventive measures, including product substitution.

Learning Objectives:
Show the small results of studying new industries, interest of workers to know their exposure to chemicals. Show that in Massachusetts this industry involves many immigrant workers.

Keywords: Occupational Exposure, Occupational Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I worked in the field work and data analysis during the project
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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