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Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks |
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| Authors: | Nan Lin Marie-Anne Rosemberg Wei Li Emily Meza-Wilson Christopher Godwin Stuart Batterman |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA;2. Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Funding acquisition (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Resources (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);3. Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Contribution: Investigation (equal), Project administration (equal), Resources (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);4. College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Contribution: Investigation (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);5. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Contribution: Methodology (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal) |
| Abstract: | Hotel housekeepers represent a large, low-income, predominantly minority, and high-risk workforce. Little is known about their exposure to chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study evaluates VOC exposures of housekeepers, sources and factors affecting VOC levels, and provides preliminary estimates of VOC-related health risks. We utilized indoor and personal sampling at two hotels, assessed ventilation, and characterized the VOC composition of cleaning agents. Personal sampling of hotel staff showed a total target VOC concentration of 57 ± 36 µg/m3 (mean ± SD), about twice that of indoor samples. VOCs of greatest health significance included chloroform and formaldehyde. Several workers had exposure to alkanes that could cause non-cancer effects. VOC levels were negatively correlated with estimated air change rates. The composition and concentrations of the tested products and air samples helped identify possible emission sources, which included building sources (for formaldehyde), disinfection by-products in the laundry room, and cleaning products. VOC levels and the derived health risks in this study were at the lower range found in the US buildings. The excess lifetime cancer risk (average of 4.1 × 10−5) still indicates a need to lower exposure by reducing or removing toxic constituents, especially formaldehyde, or by increasing ventilation rates. |
| Keywords: | exposure formaldehyde health risk hotel housekeeper personal samples volatile organic compounds |