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Indoor and outdoor concentrations of BTEX and formaldehyde in Tehran, Iran: effects of building characteristics and health risk assessment

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Abstract

BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) and formaldehyde are toxic compounds that can induce adverse health effect in humans. This study measured in-home and ambient concentrations of BTEX and formaldehyde across Tehran, Iran. These pollutants were sampled from the indoor and adjacent outdoor air of 45 houses (9 in each city zone) during the winter of 2015. Sampling was repeated three times for each house. The analyses were performed according to NIOSH procedures. The effect of flooring material, wall covering, ventilation system, heating system, height above ground, presence of attached garages, and distance from highways was evaluated. In addition, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of these compounds were assessed. The average indoor concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and formaldehyde were 53.2, 21.5, 14.4, 21.1, and 17.9 μg/m3, respectively. The average outdoor concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and formaldehyde were 43.5, 26.2, 10.0, 19.1, and 6.9 μg/m3, respectively. Separate regression models showed that wall coating, ventilation system, heating system, flat level, and distance from highways explained 29, 60, 16, 60, and 59% of the BTEX concentrations, respectively. Houses with oil painted walls and parquet flooring had higher concentrations of BTEX and formaldehyde, respectively. The health risk assessment found that the carcinogenic risks of benzene and formaldehyde exceeded 1 × 10−4 and represent a definite risk. New buildings can be designed based on the results of this study to use better materials and optimum building designs to reduce exposure to these toxic air pollutants.

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  • 03 August 2018

    The original publication of this paper contains a mistake. The correct name and affiliation of the 3rd Author is presented in this paper.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (grant number #7653) and Tehran University of Medical Sciences (grant number # 24509).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mostafa Hadei

  2. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Philip K. Hopke

  3. Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, Clarkson University, Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, NY, 13699-5708, USA

    Philip K. Hopke

  4. Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Rafiee & Abbas Shahsavani

  5. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Rafiee & Abbas Shahsavani

  6. Center for Air pollution Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Noushin Rastkari

  7. Environmental and Occupational Health Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Yarahmadi

  8. Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Majid Kermani

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  1. Mostafa Hadei
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  2. Philip K. Hopke
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  7. Abbas Shahsavani
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Correspondence to Abbas Shahsavani.

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Responsible editor: Constantini Samara

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake.

The correct name and affiliation of the 3rd Author is presented in this paper.

The original version of this article was revised.

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Hadei, M., Hopke, P.K., Rafiee, M. et al. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of BTEX and formaldehyde in Tehran, Iran: effects of building characteristics and health risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 27423–27437 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2794-4

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