A Baseline Study

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A Baseline Study

• Analysis of Indoor and Outdoor VOCs in Bitterroot
  Valley Air

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Conducted By Corvallis High School
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• Purpose
• Establish values for the presence of certain VOCs
  in Bitterroot Valley air
• Identify any toxic problems

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• Hypothesis
• VOCs values would be higher for the indoor pumps
  compared to the outdoor pumps
• Most VOCs come from chemicals often used indoors.
  
• Walking pumps would also be higher than the
  outdoor pumps because most people spend more time
  indoors.

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• Procedure
• Each student received two pumps (indoor and
  outdoor)
• Some students wore walking pumps
• Over a twelve hour testing period
• Sent to U of M for analysis

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Comparing values to the TLV-TWA TLV-TWA Threshold
Limit Value - Time-Weighted Average The
time-weighted average concentration for a normal
8 hour work day and a 40 hour work week, to which
nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day
after day, without adverse effect.
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Tetrachloromethane

• Causes
• Cancer
• Irritation to skin
• dermatitis
• kidney or liver damage
• damage to eyes, skin and lungs
• Found in
• Household dry cleaning fluids
• Fire extinguishers used with electrical petrol
  fires

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 587.00
• Outside 877.35
• Walking 704.20
• TLV-TWA 3.146 X 107

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Benzene

• Causes
• Cancer, specifically leukemia
• Long term exposure
• affects bone marrow and blood production
• Short term exposure
• causes drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness and
  death, in high level exposure.
• Found in
• plastics, detergents, pesticides and other
  chemicals.

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 828.42
• Outside 1243.83
• Walking 1331.45
• TLV-TWA 1.6 X 106

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Toluene

• Causes
• Tiredness, confusion, weakness drunken-type
  behavior, memory loss, nausea
• loss of appetite, hearing and color vision loss,
  kidney problems and even death
• birth defects, retardation and growth problems.
• Affects to the nervous system.
• Found in
• paints, paint thinners, fingernail polishes,
  lacquers and adhesives

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 12737.54
• Outside 6564.00
• Walking 11009.50
• TLV-TWA 1.884 X 108

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Joke Break

• How many physical chemists does it take to wash a
  beaker?
• None. That's what organic chemists are for!

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Ethylbenzene

• Causes
• dizziness, throat and eye irritation
• tightening of the chest and burning sensation in
  the eyes
• In animal studies it is shown to affect the
  nervous system, liver, kidneys and eyes
• Found in
• gasoline and paints

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 2933.44
• Outside 1820.48
• Walking 1353.57
• TLV-TWA 4.3419 X 108

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1,4-dimethylbenzene

• Causes
• Pulmonary edema, circulatory collapse, damage to
  upper respiratory tract
• Coughing, choking, headache, nausea, vomiting,
  dermatitis
• Destruction of eye tissue, fainting, convulsions
  and coma
• Kidney and liver damage and blood effects

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 3416.39
• Outside 2555.39
• Walking 2251.80

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1,2-dimethylbenzene

• Causes
• dizziness, passing out, death, bone marrow damage
  
• low blood cell count, problems with memory and
  concentration, damage to a developing fetus,
• irritation of eyes, nose and throat, stomach
  problems, drowsiness, staggering gait, corneal
  vacuolization,
• nausea, vomiting, dermatitis, lack of
  coordination
• Found in
• gasoline, polyester fibers, dyes and insecticides
  
• sterilizing catgut, petroleum fractions.

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 3370.69
• Outside 2367.51
• Walking 1582.12

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Joke Break

• How did Avogadro deliver his packages overseas?
• Air Mole

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Isopropylbenzene

• Causes
• ataxia, cough, dizziness, drowsiness, headache,
  sore throat, unconsciousness, redness, pain and
  dry skin.
• Found in
• crude oils spills released from anthropogenic
  sources
• solvents, paint, ink

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 1329.28
• Outside 115.96
• Walking 216.68

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N-propylbenzene

• Toxicology is not fully investigated, may be an
  irritant to respiratory system and flammable.

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 1354.83
• Outside 232.09
• Walking 402.30

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One Last Joke Break

• A neutron walks into a bar, sits down and asks
  for a drink. Finishing, the neutron asks "How
  much?"
• The bartender says, "For you, no charge."

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1,3,5-trimethylbenzene

• Harmful if inhaled or swallowed. Is an irritant,
  irritates eyes, respiratory system and skin.

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 1927.15
• Outside 367.89
• Walking 901.02
• TLV-TWA 1.229 X 108

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1,2,4-trimethylbenzene

• May be harmful through ingestion, inhalation or
  skin contact. Harmful to respiratory system, skin
  and eyes.

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Averages (measured in ng/m³)

• Inside 3372.17
• Outside 1051.72
• Walking 2445.05
• TLV-TWA 1.229 X 108

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Comparing to ACGIH Standards

• In our inside, outside and walking pumps the
  values are significantly lower than the ACGIH
  values
• All VOC concentrations safe, however levels are
  higher inside
• Walking pumps are similar to inside pumps

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Acknowledgements

• Thanks to Dr. Tony J. Ward, Chris Magliacci,
  Baron Arnone and the University of Montana,
  Center for Environmental Health Sciences.

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I LOVE VOCs!!!!!
Haha, Im funny!
Only 4 more days!
Get me out of this place!