Volatile Organic Compounds in Anatomical Pathology Wards: Comparative and Qualitative Assessment of Indoor Airborne Pollution

Massimo Cipolla, Alberto Izzotti, Filippo Ansaldi, Paolo Durando and Maria Teresa Piccardo
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Massimo Cipolla: Mutagenesis Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy
Alberto Izzotti: Mutagenesis Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy
Filippo Ansaldi: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa 16132, Italy
Paolo Durando: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa 16132, Italy
Maria Teresa Piccardo: Mutagenesis Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-8

Abstract: The impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on indoor air quality and on human health is widely recognized. However, VOC contamination in hospital indoor air is rarely studied and chemical compounds that singularly do not show high toxicity are not submitted to any regulation. This study aimed to compare VOC contamination in two different anatomical pathology wards in the same hospital. Hydrocarbons, alcohols, and terpenes were sampled by passive diffusive samplers. Analytical tests were performed by thermal desorption coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detector. Results highlighted a different VOC pollution in the two wards, due to the structural difference of the buildings and different organizational systems. The scarcity of similar data in the literature shows that the presence of VOCs in pathology wards is an underestimated problem. We believe that, because of the adverse effects that VOCs may have on the human health, this topic is worth exploring further.

Keywords: VOCs; indoor pollution; human health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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