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An application of exposure modeling in exposure assessments for a university chemistry teaching laboratory.
- Source :
-
Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene [J Occup Environ Hyg] 2006 Feb; Vol. 3 (2), pp. 99-106. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- Chemical exposures in a university teaching lab were assessed using a tiered approach to modeling. Zero ventilation and well mixed room models estimated air concentrations of ethyl ether, n-hexane, and methylene chloride during distillation and extraction exercises. A simple, zero ventilation model determined that health risks from the ethyl ether exercise were minimum. N-hexane and methylene chloride exposures were evaluated with higher tiered, well mixed room models. An assumption that all of the solvent evaporated during the lab resulted in estimated n-hexane concentrations well below the occupational exposure limit. Methylene chloride concentration estimates using this approach were only one-half the occupational exposure limit, so the model was refined using information on the actual amount of solvent that evaporated. This resulted in a concentration estimate approximately one-fifth of the occupational exposure limit. Air sampling was done to evaluate model performance. Measured concentrations were higher than modeled concentrations by up to a factor of two but were still below applicable occupational exposure limits. The exposure models selected were deemed useful in the assessment of exposure acceptability in these labs.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1545-9624
- Volume :
- 3
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 16418083
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15459620500498109