Performance Evaluation of Simultaneous Monitoring of Personal Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Volatile Organic Compounds

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop and demon strate a methodology to determine human exposure to a variety of indoor air contaminants by personal monitor ing. Target analytes included respirable suspended par ticulates, components of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A total of 60 non-smoking, non-occupational res idents at homes in metropolitan Taegu, Korea, were recruited for this study. The subjects were classified into two groups, i.e. subjects living in homes with smokers and without smokers. Seasonal air samples were col lected using three-channel personal samplers for each subject in two phases over a 24-hour period, i.e. awake time and sleeping time separately. Performance of sam pling and analytical methods used for the simultaneous measurements of ETS and VOCs were evaluated with respect to sensitivity, repeatability and field application.

Keywords

Personal exposure Environmental tobacco smoke Volatile organic compounds Indoor air Monitoring Respirable suspended particulates Benzene

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