Determination and Risk Assessment of Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde in the Ambient Air of Gas Stations in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Formaldehyde (FA) and acetaldehyde (AA) were determined in the ambient air of five gas stations (GS) in the city of Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil, using three passive samplers exposed simultaneously for 8 h and analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). The concentration ranges found were 3.31-5.78 µg m−3 for FA and 10.5-28.2 µg m−3 for AA. These values were below the exposure limits recommended by national and international agencies for occupational environments, however, FA concentrations were above the more restrictive limit (3.30 µg m−3) stablished by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for long-term outdoor exposure. The lifetime cancer risks (LCR) found associated with the exposure of GS employees to these aldehydes over the 30-year period varied between 4.51 × 10−6-8.00 × 10−6 for FA and 2.46 × 10−6-6.60 × 10−6 for AA. These values are above the acceptable limit set by the USEPA (1.0 × 10−6), reinforcing the need for actions to minimize the occupational exposure, mainly to FA, which is associated with nasopharyngeal cancer.