Variability in time of volatile organic compounds in work environments

Volatile organic compounds are important constituents of different technological processes. Producers of solvents, primers, colours, varnish, and putty need to continuously improve and invent new chemical compositions according to changes in legislation and needs of consumers. The new substances (acrylates, glycol esters, isocyanides) have different effects on human body than the usual ones (toluene, styrene, xylene etc.). Many industries choose water-based products containing "new" substances in their work processes. These products are more environmentally friendly due to lower emissions of volatile organic compounds. But are these substances properly assessed as to the chemical risk to the health of the workers? In order to investigate the changes in the workplace air pollution by chemical composition, the laboratory measurement database for time period from 2013 to 2019 was used (n=1130 measurements of different volatile and semivolatile organic substances). Gas chromatography (GH) or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for determination of substances were used. All air samples were collected on work24728982 in the workers breathing zone. Of the measurements of organic substances gathered in the database, 61.3% of the measurements were from substances that are part of the solvent and water-based products compositions. Of these, organic substances from water based products were 3.5% in the 2013, but 5.6% in the 2019. The proportion of measurements slightly increases, but does not correlate with used amount of chemical products. Over time, slow changes are observed in the targeted chemicals that are requested to be measured in work environments (for water base products components). This does not correspond to the real amounts of new substances used .