Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

The problem of health risk resulting from exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the workplace is very important for physicians, employers, the local government and workers. VOCs are regarded as poisoning agents in the occupational environment. The relationship between adverse health effect and exposure to VOCs was first recognized in the chemical industry, where there were high concentrations of a great number of compounds. The current study attempts to evaluate the environment in the work places in studio of conservation of painting and studio of screen printing by the analysing of the concentration of vapour solvents in the range five-seven years measurements. Occupational investigations have been carried out in the Department of Conservation of Painting and Polychrom Sculpture and in the Studio of Screen Printing of the Faculty of Art at Nicolaus Copernicus University. Concentration of organic solvents vapour was measured in two workshops (studios): Studio of Conservation of Painting and Studio of Screen Printing. The presented study attempts to evaluate the environment in the work places in both studios analyzing the concentration of vapour solvents in the range five-seven years measurements. Toxicological properties of target volatile solvents have been presented. Volatile solvents including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters and ketones, were detected in investigated workplaces. These compounds have a wide range of applications for cleaning and removing old varnishes, laquers and paints. In this case the inhalation is main route of exposure. However, the absorption through skin possibly may occur. Active sampling method was applied for vapour collection. Activated charcoal was used as an adsorption material. The analytes were desorbed by carbon disulphide extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID).

Biography

Magdalena Ligor has completed her DSc from Nicolaus Copernicus University and postdoctoral studies at Innsbruck Medical University. She has published more than 45 papers in the journals and 4 chapters to books. She is serving as a reviewer member of repute. Her research interests focus on chromatographic techniques (HPLC, GC, TLC), sample preparation methods (SPE, SPME, LLE), analysis of plant materials, food and water, determination of VOCs, biomedical chemistry and trace analysis.