Aldehydes and BTEX Measurements and Exposures in University Libraries in Strasbourg (France)

Abstract

Aldehydes and BTEX concentrations were measured in 20 university libraries in Strasbourg (east of France) using Radiello passive sampling systems containing either DNPH or activated charcoal for aldehydes and BTEX, respectively. For the aldehydes, the conventional DNPH-derivatization method was used, followed by liquid chromatography coupled to UV detection while the BTEX were quantified by GC-PID. Aldehydes levels found inside the libraries ranged from 8.6 to 94.5 μg · m^×3 for formaldehyde, 3.7 to 25.9 μg · m^-3 for acetaldehyde, 2.1 to 58.8 μg · m^-3 for hexanal, 0.2 to 5.3 μg · m^-3 for benzaldehyde, and 0.7 to 16.3 μg · m^-3 for propionaldehyde. Their mean values are 28.6± 18.8 μg · m^-3 (formaldehyde), 10.2 ± 5.8 μg · m^-3 (acetaldehyde) and 15.1 ± 12.1 μg · m^-3 (hexanal), 1.1 ±1.1 for benzaldehyde and 2.8 ±3.3 for propionaldehyde, where the quoted errors correspond to 1σ level. Total BTEX concentrations were quantified in the same libraries and were usually relatively low (<20 μg · m ^-3) in all libraries, except for one where unusually high values (~295 μg · m^-3) were found. Excluding this latter, the means BTEX concentrations were (in units of μg · m^-3): 0.2 ±0.2 (benzene), 3.8 ±2.6 (toluene), 0.8 ±0.5 (ethyl benzene), 1.9 ± 1.2 (m- and p-xylenes), and 0.5 ±0.4 (o -xylene), where the quoted errors correspond again to 1σ.