Objectives: To assess the determinants of airborne solvent exposures in contemporary vehicle collision repair workplaces.
Methods: Personal, full-shift airborne solvent exposures (n = 97) were assessed in 85 vehicle collision repair workers from 18 workshops. Peak exposures were assessed using a small number of video exposure monitoring measurements.
Results: Solvent exposures were highest in spray painters (geometric mean = 2.7 ppm) followed by panel beaters (0.5 ppm), but were well below workplace exposure standards. The lowest exposure levels were observed for mixing room extraction located away from the mixing bench [exposure ratio (ER) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.30-0.87]. Time spent mixing paint was associated with higher exposures (ER for every 10-min increase = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.05-1.24), as was time spent cleaning equipment with solvents (ER = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.88-1.39), spraying primer (ER = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.96-1.27), and spraying clear coat paint (ER = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.00-1.15). Overall, the combined non-spray painting tasks (mixing paint, degreasing, and cleaning equipment) were more strongly associated with exposure (ER = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.03-1.18) than the combined spray painting tasks (ER = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.00-1.05). Peak exposures ranged from 10 to 1100 ppm with the strongest and most frequent peaks occurring during paint mixing, decanting of solvents, cleaning of equipment, and painting in a cross-draft spray booth.
Conclusions: Airborne solvent exposures in the collision repair industry were associated with job title, the design and location of exhaust ventilation and emission sources, and time spent on specific tasks, with the highest average and peak exposures shown for non-spray painting tasks. These findings provide a contemporary basis for intervention programmes to reduce airborne solvent exposures in this industry.