In efforts to characterize the atmospheres present in animal exposure chambers, samples of the air were taken during coal dust and diesel exhaust inhalation studies. No detectable quantities of phenol (108952), cresol (1319773), and the xylenols were found in the exposure chambers. Formaldehyde (50000) and acetaldehyde (75070) were present at slightly under 40 parts per billion (ppb) concentration levels. Other aldehydes present in the chambers were at much lower concentrations, about 6ppb. Formaldehyde was the only aldehyde consistently present in the nondiesel chambers, at 7ppb. It is suggested that the water scrubber on the diesel engine used in this study might have moderated the concentrations of water soluble pollutants, such as aldehydes and phenols. A combination of analytical results suggests that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein (107028) were the major aldehydes present in the diesel exhaust, each at levels less than 100ppb. Propionaldehyde (123386), butyraldehyde (123728), and possibly higher aldehydes were present at low levels. The mean formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, and butyraldehyde concentrations were 38.2, 39.6, 6.6 and 6.6ppb, respectively, in chambers 7 through 12.
NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 34 pages, 11 references