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Ren Y, Guan X, Peng Y, Gong A, Xie H, Chen S, Zhang Q, Zhang X, Wang W, Wang Q. Characterization of VOC emissions and health risk assessment in the plastic manufacturing industry. J Environ Manage 2024; 357:120730. [PMID: 38574705 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) significantly contribute to ozone pollution formation, and many VOCs are known to be harmful to human health. Plastic has become an indispensable material in various industries and daily use scenarios, yet the VOC emissions and associated health risks in the plastic manufacturing industry have received limited attention. In this study, we conducted sampling in three typical plastic manufacturing factories to analyze the emission characteristics of VOCs, ozone formation potential (OFP), and health risks for workers. Isopropanol was detected at relatively high concentrations in all three factories, with concentrations in organized emissions reaching 322.3 μg/m3, 344.8 μg/m3, and 22.6 μg/m3, respectively. Alkanes are the most emitted category of VOCs in plastic factories. However, alkenes and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) exhibit higher OFP. In organized emissions of different types of VOCs in the three factories, alkenes and OVOCs contributed 22.8%, 67%, and 37.8% to the OFP, respectively, highlighting the necessity of controlling them. The hazard index (HI) for all three factories was less than 1, indicating a low non-carcinogenic toxic risk; however, there is still a possibility of non-cancerous health risks in two of the factories, and a potential lifetime cancer risk in all of the three factories. For workers with job tenures exceeding 5 years, there may be potential health risks, hence wearing masks with protective capabilities is necessary. This study provides evidence for reducing VOC emissions and improving management measures to ensure the health protection of workers in the plastic manufacturing industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchao Ren
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and Environment, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Xu Guan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Yanbo Peng
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and Environment, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan 250101, PR China.
| | - Anbao Gong
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Huan Xie
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Shurui Chen
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and Environment, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China.
| | - Xin Zhang
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and Environment, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Wenxing Wang
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and Environment, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Qiao Wang
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and Environment, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China
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