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Med. Pr. 2002;53(2)

Exposure to selected aldehydes among municipal transport bus drivers

Narażenie kierowców autobusów komunikacji miejskiej na wybrane aldehydy

S. Brześnicki, J. Gromiec

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine occupational exposure of municipal transport bus drovers to selected aldehydes: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein.
Ten drivers serving 5 bus lines were selected for the study. Air samples were collected in the driver's breathing zone and in bus cabins. The test air (about 10 l) was drawn through columns filled with silicagel coated by dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). The products of DNPH reaction with aldehydes were extracted with acetonitrile and analyzed by HPLC with a spectrophotometric detector (λ = 360 nm). The analytical procedure enabled to determine the selected aldehydes in the concentration range equivalent to 0.1-2.0 of the Polish maximum allowable concentrations (MAC). In the quantitative analysis, the concentrations of selected aldehydes were found to be much lower than MAC values, regardless of the bus type. The concentrations of formaldehyde and acrolein ranged from 0.025 to 0.090 mg/m³ and from 0.010 to 0.035 mg/m³, respectively.
In all samples, acetaldehyde concentrations were well below the limit of detection of the analytical method. The combined exposure to aldehydes was also below the limit value for mixtures.

Key words

formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, bus drivers, exposure assessment, Diesel engine emissions