Characteristics and health impacts of volatile organic compounds in photocopy centers

Abstract

This study investigates the indoor air quality of typical photocopy centers in Taiwan to evaluate the human health risk following inhalation exposure. Both personal and area samplings were conducted at seven photocopy centers in the Tainan area from July 2002 to March 2003, which covered both summer and winter seasons in Taiwan. The benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and styrene (BTEXS) measurements indicated no difference between personal and area samplings ( P > 0.05 ) and found that air conditioning improves indoor air quality. The additive factor at each photocopy center was significantly below 1.0, based on the current BTEXS permissible exposure limits in Taiwan. However, the mean benzene and styrene levels in the current study were 138 and 18 times, respectively, higher than those in another study conducted in the United States. Comparison of mass ratios of BTEXS with those of several chamber studies revealed that the photocopier is not the only volatile organic compound (VOC) source in photocopy centers. The lifetime cancer and noncancer risks for workers exposed to VOCs were also assessed. Results show that all seven centers in this study had a lifetime cancer risk exceeding 1×10 −6 (ranging from 2.5×10 −3 to 8.5×10 −5). Regarding noncancer risk, levels of toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and styrene were below the reference levels in all photocopy centers; however, the hazard indices for all still exceeded 1.0 (range 26.2–1.8) because of the high level of benzene in the photocopy centers.