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Personal exposure to volatile organic compounds in the Czech Republic

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 22, pages 455–460 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Personal exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured in the three industrial cities in the Czech Republic, Ostrava, Karvina and Havirov, while the city of Prague served as a control in a large-scale molecular epidemiological study identifying the impacts of air pollution on human health. Office workers from Ostrava and city policemen from Karvina, Havirov and Prague were monitored in the winter and summer of 2009. Only adult non-smokers participated in the study (N=160). Radiello-diffusive passive samplers were used to measure the exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, meta- plus para-xylene and ortho-xylene (BTEX). All participants completed a personal questionnaire and a time–location–activity diary (TLAD). The average personal BTEX exposure levels in both seasons were 7.2/34.3/4.4/16.1 μg/m3, respectively. The benzene levels were highest in winter in Karvina, Ostrava and Prague: 8.5, 7.2 and 5.3 μg/m3, respectively. The personal exposures to BTEX were higher than the corresponding stationary monitoring levels detected in the individual localities (P<0.001; except m,p-xylene in summer). The indoor environment, ETS (environmental tobacco smoke), cooking, a home-heating fireplace or gas stove, automobile use and being in a restaurant were important predictors for benzene personal exposure. Ostrava's outdoor benzene pollution was a significant factor increasing the exposure of the Ostrava study participants in winter (P<0.05).

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic (CZ:MZP CR:SP/1b3/8/08) and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (CZ:MSMT CR:2B08005). We are very grateful to all of the study participants, who contributed tremendously to the success of this project. A special thank goes to the cooperating institutions and executives that helped with the coordination of the monitoring campaigns: the Regional Authority of Ostrava and the Municipal Police in Karvina, Havirov and Prague.

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  1. Institute of Experimental Medicine, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic

    Vlasta Svecova, Jan Topinka, Ivo Solansky & Radim J Sram

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  1. Vlasta Svecova
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Correspondence to Radim J Sram.

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Svecova, V., Topinka, J., Solansky, I. et al. Personal exposure to volatile organic compounds in the Czech Republic. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 22, 455–460 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2012.30

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