Determining the Concentrations of Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde Using Passive Sampling in the Ambient Air of Gas Stations in the City of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Formaldehyde (FA) and acetaldehyde (AA) are the two most abundant aldehydes in the atmosphere and are considered primary and/or secondary pollutants. This chapter aims to determine the concentrations of FA and AA in the ambient air of five Gas Stations (GS) in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The study used three passive samplers exposed simultaneously for 8 h and analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). The concentration ranges found were 3.31 - 5.78 \(\mu\)g m^-3 for FA and 10.5 - 28.2 \(\mu\)g m^-3 for AA. Although these values were lower than the exposure limits recommended by national and international agencies for occupational environments, FA concentrations were higher than the more stringent limit (3.30 \(\mu\)g m^-3) set by the Texas Environmental Quality Commission - TCEQ for long-term outdoor exposure. The lifetime cancer risks (LCR) linked to GS employees' exposure to these aldehydes over a 30-year period ranged from 2.46x10^-6 - 6.60x10^-6 for AA and 4.51x10^-6 - 8.00x10^-6 for FA. These results demonstrate the necessity for occupational exposure limits, particularly with regard to FA, which is linked to nasopharyngeal cancer, as they exceed the tolerable level established by the US Environmental Protection Agency (1.0x10^-6).