Environmental Health Criteria 214

HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
Total 11 (compounds) 338 48 80 200 59
a Average of arithmetic means of day and night 12-h samples (µg/m 3 ).
b Arithmetic mean.
c Not calculated-high background contamination.
d Not detected in most samples.
Another study of benzene in four New Jersey homes was focused on
the extent of contamination from attached garages (Thomas et al.,
1993b). Each home was monitored for either 6 or 10 consecutive 12-h
periods. At all four homes, garage levels of benzene were higher than
outdoors, and at three of the four homes the garage levels were higher
than in the living area. Air exchange measurements made it possible to
calculate the amount of benzene transferred from the garage to the
living area in the four homes; in the home without elevated benzene
levels in the garage, the total air flow between the garage and the
living area was extremely small. Benzene concentrations in the garages
ranged from 5 to 200 µg/m 3 , and the 12-h average source strength
estimates ranged from 730 to 26 000 µg/h. The mere presence of an
attached garage was not a significant factor in affecting benzene
concentrations in the living area. However, the total number of hours
the car was parked in the garage had a significant effect on
living-area benzene concentrations, as did the mass flow rate of
benzene from the garage to the home.
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6/1/2007