2. ENVIRONMENTAL ChEMISTRy & TEChNOLOGy 2.1. Lectures

Chem. Listy, 102, s265–s1311 (2008) Environmental Chemistry & Technology
Commonly, producers enclose Safety Data Sheets to
their products with necessary using, handling and storage
recommendations:
• Safe exposure limits and techniques for managing
flammability
• Information on the main hazards, how to protect against
them and the steps to take in an emergency
• Occupational exposure limits (OELs)
• Handling, storage, transport, spills and disposal advice
• Regulatory information such as classification and labeling
• Toxicity and environmental information
In chemical laboratory among other used chemicals
one of the most famous are organic solvents, which usually
referred to as group of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
VOCs are compounds given off by a number of other indoor
sources. Concentrations of most volatile organic compounds
is higher in indoor than outdoor air. They commonly can be
found in household, institutional, and industrial cleaning and
maintenance products, and in building and finishing materials.
Other sources of VOCs include the burning of fuels
such as gas, wood and kerosene, as well as tobacco products.
VOCs can also come from personal care products (perfume
and hair spray), cleaning agents, dry cleaning fluid, paints,
lacquers, varnishes, hobby supplies, and from copying and
printing machines 2 .
In enclosed spaces, VOCs can cause eye, nose, and
throat irritation, dizziness, headache, memory and visual
impairment. Higher concentrations may cause irritation of
the lungs, as well as damage to the liver, kidney, or central
nervous system. Some VOCs are suspected to cause cancer
in humans and have been shown to cause cancer in animals.
The health effects caused by VOCs depend on the level and
length of exposure.
The real concentrations of VOCs are usually orders of
magnitude below the occupational threshold limit values
(TLVs). However, some VOCs may be present above their
human odor thresholds (OTs). Beside odor annoyance, VOCs
at sub-TLV level may cause non-specific health effects such
as eye and upper respiratory airway irritation, headache and
increased weariness 3 .
The main route of exposure to solvents is via inhalation.
Occupational exposure limits (OELs) set the airborne
concentration of a substance that workers can be exposed to,
day after day without any adverse health effects. OELs are
normally set for an 8 hour day –1 and a 40 hour week –1 and are
continuously reviewed by national and EU authorities. OELs
for the majority of hydrocarbon and oxygenated solvents are
set between 10 and 1,000 parts per million depending on the
volatility and toxicity of an individual substance 4 .
According to what was stated above as objects of research
were chosen some organic solvents which are frequently used
in chemical laboratories of the Faculty of Chemistry, Brno
University of Technology. Acquired data will be used for the
following health risk assessment in chosen workplaces.
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Managing the Problem
A four-step approach to risk assessment exists4 .
• Make an inventory of the substances used in the processes
in the workplace and those generated by the process
such as welding fumes or wood dust.
• Collect information about these substances, i.e. the harm
they can do and how this can happen. Safety data sheets
(SDS), which must be provided by the supplier of a chemical,
are an important source of information.
• Assess exposure to the identified dangerous substances,
looking at the type, intensity, length, frequency and occurrence
of exposure to workers, including combined
effects of dangerous substances used together and the
related risk.
• Rank the severity of the established risks.
As we can see from this list of steps, assess exposure is
one of the important parts. Exactly, this direction was chosen
to exposure prevent and control of the dangerous substances
in chemical laboratories.
The purpose of this study is to measure the concentration
of VOCs, which are used in chosen chemical laboratories
and to assess possible occupational health risks. The aim is
to protect people who are supervising the practice work and
working in the harmful environment for a long time (occasionally
more than 8 hours). This research work is supposed to
be conducted for a long-term period.
The measurements will be taken in different working
areas (for example laboratory of organic chemistry, storage
area). For conducting the analysis a passive air sampling by
Radiello cartridges with charcoal is chosen with followed
CS 2 desorption and GC with FID or GC-MS analysis.
Method used to sample collection and analysis, passive
sampling (by means of new trade product Radiello ® ), is considered
to be a simple and rather cost-effective. Unlike active
sampling, passive samplers require no expensive pumps and
are simple to use (no calibration is needed). Other advantages
are:
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•
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Compact, portable
Offer indication of average pollution levels over time
periods of 8 hour to weeks/months
Relatively low-cost in compare with other methods
Applicable for personal monitoring and indoor air analysis
Conclusions
Important point of view for assessing acceptable working
place is its safety requirements and conditions which
will surround the employees, what means working environment,
which consists of physical, chemical and other factors.
These factors can unfavorable affect worker’s health by their
poor quality or quantity, as well as duration of this affection.
Everybody wants to work in the safety and high-quality
working environment. This statement enclosed in the
European legislation and imposes some obligations on
employers: