Workers' exposure

The Atmospheric Chemistry group collaborates with SECO and SUVA within the national inspections campaign of chemicals at work. The research project aims at improving the assessment of occupational exposure to hazardous volatile chemicals in complex mixtures used in industrial and professional sectors.

Many chemical products used at workplaces, such as paints, lacquers or lubricants contain hazardous volatile components, which upon inhalation may lead to associated health risks. In general, exposure levels to vapors depend on the specific use of the chemical product (e.g. temperature, type of application), and the physicochemical properties of the components (e.g. solubility, miscibility, and volatility). For instance, when the operating temperature leads to evaporation of some less hazardous components, the concentration of the remaining more hazardous ones is increased, which in turn may increase their volatility and lead to increased inhalation hazards. Or, when a product is reactive, the mixture composition changes with time, which influences the activity coefficients of all components. Therefore, to examine inhalation risks the type of application and the interactions of the components with each other need to be considered.

This study is co-funded by the FCOS (Federal Coordination Commission for Occupational Safety) through SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs).