Volatile organic compound concentrations under two different ventilation structures and their health risks in the adhesive tape manufacturing workplace

Exposure to the high volatile organic compounds (VOCs) concentration in the workplaces where solvents are used is an essential point for worker’s health. However, the VOCs in the indoor air of an adhesive tape production facilities that use large amounts of solvents and the health risk of the toxic compounds have not been sufficiently investigated to this date. VOC samples were collected in the morning and afternoon times of day in the indoor air of workplaces of an adhesive tape production facility at 9 different points under two different central ventilation conditions. Carbon dioxide, humidity, temperature, flow rate, and pressure values were measured continuously throughout the work time with an average recording period of 1 min. The total VOC value had a wide range from 0.1 to 138 mg/m 3 . BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) contribution to total VOC accounted for between 40 and 60% and the toluene, methylepentane, and trichloroethane concentrations among the sampling points and campaigns dominated the total VOCs. The total hazard quotient (HQ) values for each measurement campaigns were higher than the acceptable limit of 1.0, while the lifetime cancer risk (LCR) values for benzene and carbon tetrachloride were lower than the acceptable limit of 1.0 × 10 −6 . This observational study suggests that the effective and efficient operation of the workplace ventilation systems and the feasibility of the designed ventilation systems are essential on the accumulation of toxic compounds in the air and must be well evaluated.