| Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
Modeling Aggregate Exposures to Glycol Ethers from Use of Commercial Floor ProductsGEOMET Technologies, LLC, Flag Pond, Tennessee, USA
The Lifeline Group, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA
Johnson Diversey, Inc., Sturtevant, Wisconsin, USA
Sielken and Associates Consulting, Inc., Bryan, Texas, USA
Health Studies Management & Consulting, Annandale, Virginia, USA Correspondence: Address correspondence to Tipton Tyler, 4212 Wynnwood Drive, Annandale, VA 22003, USA. E-mail:trtyler{at}att.net Computer modeling of aggregate exposure provides the capability to estimate the range of doses that can occur from product use and to understand the relative importance of different routes of exposure. This paper presents an assessment of aggregate occupational exposure to two glycol ethers used as solvents in floor maintenance products for industrial and institutional facilities, using a simulation tool named PROMISE. Three commercial floor-care products were assumed to be applied in sequence—a floor stripper, then a floor cleaner, and lastly a protective coating. The glycol ethers modeled were ethylene glycol butyl ether (EGBE) in the floor stripper and in the floor cleaner, and dipropylene glycol methyl ether (DPGME) in the coating. Modeling uncertainty was assessed through a comparison of the PROMISE inhalation exposure estimates with those from an independent model (MCCEM), and parameter uncertainty was investigated using PROMISE software’s Monte Carlo simulation capabilities. Modeling results indicated that inhalation is the dominant exposure route. The predicted average air concentration and inhalation dose from PROMISE agreed with the second model (MCCEM) within 10%. Monte Carlo simulation indicated that the upper end of the aggregate-dose distribution for the scenario was more than 50% higher than the value of the point estimate. The modeled 8-h TWA concentrations for EGBE and DPGME were lower than the corresponding permissible exposure limits American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLV) by at least a factor of 20, indicating that under the assumed conditions work-place exposures to glycol ethers are below levels of concern.
Key Words: Dose • Exposure • Floor Products • Glycol Ethers • Modeling • Multiroute
International Journal of Toxicology, Vol. 25, No. 2,
95-107 (2006) This article has been cited by other articles:
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
 |
|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
