Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;31(1):26-39.
doi: 10.1111/ina.12709. Epub 2020 Aug 24.

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

Nan Lin  1 , Marie-Anne Rosemberg  2 , Wei Li  2 , Emily Meza-Wilson  3 , Christopher Godwin  1 , Stuart Batterman  1
Affiliations

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

Nan Lin et al. Indoor Air. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Hotel housekeepers represent a large, low-income, predominantly minority, and high-risk workforce. Little is known about their exposure to chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study evaluates VOC exposures of housekeepers, sources and factors affecting VOC levels, and provides preliminary estimates of VOC-related health risks. We utilized indoor and personal sampling at two hotels, assessed ventilation, and characterized the VOC composition of cleaning agents. Personal sampling of hotel staff showed a total target VOC concentration of 57 ± 36 µg/m3 (mean ± SD), about twice that of indoor samples. VOCs of greatest health significance included chloroform and formaldehyde. Several workers had exposure to alkanes that could cause non-cancer effects. VOC levels were negatively correlated with estimated air change rates. The composition and concentrations of the tested products and air samples helped identify possible emission sources, which included building sources (for formaldehyde), disinfection by-products in the laundry room, and cleaning products. VOC levels and the derived health risks in this study were at the lower range found in the US buildings. The excess lifetime cancer risk (average of 4.1 × 10-5 ) still indicates a need to lower exposure by reducing or removing toxic constituents, especially formaldehyde, or by increasing ventilation rates.

Keywords: exposure; formaldehyde; health risk; hotel housekeeper; personal samples; volatile organic compounds.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
VOC compositions of outdoor samples, indoor samples at different sites, and personal samples among different hotel workers in the study. All seasons are combined. Sample sizes: 2 outdoor samples, 3 laundry room samples, 2 lobby samples, 3 guest room samples, and 3 break room samples; 2 laundry worker samples, 1 maintenance worker sample, 16 room cleaner samples, 3 office worker samples.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Association between air change rates (ACRs) and concentrations of TTVOCs in Hotel 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2018. Occupation Profiles. [Available rom: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.
    1. Sanon MAV. Agency-hired hotel housekeepers an at-risk group for adverse health outcomes. Workplace Health Saf. 2014; 62(2): 81–85. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee PT, Krause N. The impact of a worker health study on working conditions. J Public Health Policy. 2002; 23(3): 268–285. - PubMed
    1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Fundamentals of total worker health approaches: essential elements for advancing worker safety, health, and well-being. 2016.
    1. U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH strategic plan: FYs 2019−2023. 2019. [Available rom: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/about/strategicplan/default.html.

Publication types

MeSH terms