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POTENTIAL INHALATION EXPOSURE TO VOLATILE CHEMICALS IN WATER-BASED HARD-SURFACE CLEANERS
Citation:
Guo*, Z. POTENTIAL INHALATION EXPOSURE TO VOLATILE CHEMICALS IN WATER-BASED HARD-SURFACE CLEANERS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-05/005, 2004.
Description:
Potential inhalation exposure of building occupants to volatile chemicals in water-based hard-surface cleaners was evaluated by analyzing 267 material safety data sheets (MSDSs). Among the 154 chemicals reported, 44 are volatile or semi-volatile. Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) reported in the MSDSs include ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (i.e., 2-butoxyethanol, or 2-BE), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, hydrochloric acid (as hydrogen chloride in air), and methanol. Among the 267 cleaner products, the total number of occurrences of these HAPs is 86, and cleaners containing high concentrations of HAPs should be avoided. In addition to HAPs, many chemicals in the formulations are irritants, and it is wise to avoid products containing high concentrations of those chemicals. Potential formation of secondary air pollutants (e.g., formaldehyde) due to autoxidation and gas-phase chemical reactions deserves further investigation. A screening-level source model was developed to predict the emissions of volatile organic and inorganic chemicals from cleaner film applied to a hard surface. Experimental evaluation of this model showed that the average predictive error was 12% for the 4-hour average concentration and 37% for the peak concentration. It is recommended that the time-averaged concentration be used for product screening. This model can be implemented in a spreadsheet, and its parameters can be either predefined or easily obtained.