Cleaning workers’ exposure to volatile organic compounds and particulate matter during floor polish removal and reapplication

Abstract

The floor polish removal (FPR) and reapplication (FPA) are important cleaning tasks in public buildings that have hard floor surfaces. Usually, the FPR and FPA are conducted once or twice a year, during the periodic cleaning of these buildings. The FPR can be performed either chemically (CFPR) or by using dry scrubber (DFPR), when the polish is ground from the floor. In this study, cleaning workers’ exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) during the FPR and FPA, and the differences in the exposures between the two FPR methods were investigated. In total, three buildings located in Central Finland were included, and total of six cleaning workers (two per building) participated in the study. In Buildings 1 and 2, the CFPR and FPA were performed and in Building 3, the DFPR was conducted. TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) concentrations in the breathing zone of the workers during the CFPR were 8,740 and 390 µg/m3 (SD 3,290 and 180 µg/m3) for Buildings 1 and 2, respectively. During the DFPR in Building 3, the average TVOC concentration was 400 µg/m3 (SD 180 µg/m3, stationary sampling). The TVOC concentrations during the FPA were high, 1,640 and 2,170 µg/m3 on average (SD 1,570 and 930 µg/m3) for Buildings 1 and 2, respectively. Glycol ethers were the most prominent VOCs during the CFPR and FPA, whereas carboxylic acids were the most common during the DFPR. The inhalable dust concentrations in the workers’ breathing zone were noticeably higher during the DFPR (1.55 mg/m3 on average, SD 0.01 mg/m3) than the CFPR (0.24 mg/m3 on average, SD 0.05 mg/m3). Finnish occupational exposure limit value for organic inhalable dust is 5 mg/m3. As the products used during the CFPR and FPA contain glycol ethers and ethanolamines that are absorbed via the skin as well, the use of skin protection is recommended. Whereas the use of FFP3 respirators and skin protection are recommended during the DFPR to prevent the PM exposure.