[Exposure to organic solvent vapors during production of lacquers for automobile painting].

This study was aimed at the development and improvement of the methods for determining solvent vapours to estimate occupational exposure in paint and varnish shops. Gas chromatographic method and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were applied respectively for quantitative determination and identification of toxic substances in the work-room air in plants manufacturing carbamide car paints and commonly used phthalic paints. Particular attention was paid to aromatic hydrocarbon components of farbasol: ethyltoluenes, propylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, mesitylene, hemimelitene, pseudocumene, diethylbenzenes and cymene. These hydrocarbons constitute about 95% of farbasol. At present, the evaluation of exposure in paint and varnish factories and in paint shops in Poland is insufficient because of the lack of TLV values for the above solvents, as well as inadequate methods of determination used in majority of laboratories.