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VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN 600 U.S. HOMES: MAJOR SOURCES OF PERSONAL EXPOSURE
Citation:
Wallace, L. AND C. Clayton. VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN 600 U.S. HOMES: MAJOR SOURCES OF PERSONAL EXPOSURE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-87/155.
Description:
The USEPA carried out the Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) Study (1980-85) on 600 subjects in five cities representing a total population of more than 700,000 persons. Personal exposures to all prevalent target compounds exceeded outdoor concentrations. Major sources were smoking (benzene, styrene, xylenes, and octane); using hot water (chloroform); wearing dry-cleaned clothes (tetrachloroethylene); and using moth crystals or room air deodorants (para-dichlorobenzene). Eleven of 14 occupations also showed elevated exposures to one or more chemicals (particularly aromatics). Auto related activities (lengthy commuting, filling gas tanks) were associated with increased exposures to several aromatics. Breath concentrations were significantly associated with personal air exposures but not with outdoor concentrations. Residence in major chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining areas did not significantly affect personal exposures.