Ventilation and Industrial Hygienic Measures to Reduce Chemical Exposure in Car Repair Painting Shops

The main target of this research project was to find technical and industrial hygienic solutionsfor small car body repair shops to reduce worker's exposure to chemicals during the paintingprocess. Worker's exposure to isocyanates and solvents was measured during painting withportable instruments in five car body shops of different ventilation and occupational hygienelevels. Ventilation performance was studied as well. Concentrations of isocyanates were highin the painter's breathing zone when solventbasedpaints were sprayed. Also, the varnishapplied on waterbasedpaints contains isocyanates, and therefore their concentrations in theair were high during spraying. The highest solvent concentrations in the breathing zone weremeasured during the cleanup of the spray gun. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use apaint spray respirator and proper gloves when cleaning up the spray gun. In addition, use of afume cupboard in paint mixing and spray gun cleanup is preferable . Primers were commonlyapplied to car bodies in a poorly ventilated preparation room without the use of a properbreathing respirator. Therefore, personal exposure to solvents was often higher in thepreparation room than in the spray booth. It is recommended that all painting should be donein the spray booth.