OFFICE WORKERS EXPOSURE TO VOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS WHILE COMMUTING AND WORKING IN TAIPEI-CITY

This study examined office workers' exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from two activities: commuting and working in an office in Taipei, Taiwan in the spring of 1992. About 18 target C-6-C-10 hydrocarbons and chlorinated VOCs were collected on Tenax-GC adsorbent tubes, and analysed by a thermal desorption and GC-MS method. We found that similar VOC species were present in commutes and in offices except that chloroform and 1,1,1-trichloroethane were only present in offices. The in-vehicle VOC concentrations in Taipei were about 2-30-times higher than the levels in many western cities. The VOC concentrations in commute varied only with different commuting vehicles. The in-vehicle VOC concentrations were not affected by either time-of-day or route-of-traffic. On the average, the VOC concentration ratio of motorcyclist: private vehicle-driver: bus-rider was about 5:3:2. The round-trip commuting duration ratio of motorcyclist: private vehicle-driver: bus-rider was 1 : 1.5:2. The VOC concentrations in commute were about 5-11 times higher than in offices. We concluded that motorcyclists had the highest VOC exposures while commuting in Taipei. The comparisons of VOC profiles in various microenvironments indicated that auto exhaust emissions were the main VOC sources in vehicle and in office. In general, office workers' benzene exposures during commuting were greater than at work in Taipei.