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Robots can reduce the exposure of people to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during application of spray foam insulation

Naldzhiev, D; Mumovic, D; Strlic, M; (2019) Robots can reduce the exposure of people to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during application of spray foam insulation. In: Proceedings of Healthy Buildings 2019. International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ): Changsha, China. Green open access

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Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to determine whether, and by how much, worker exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) would be reduced when robots are used to apply spray foam insulation. The study was undertaken in a test room where the ventilation rates were controlled and temperature and relative humidity were recorded. Four independent spraying experiments were conducted where robots were used to spray foam onto a suspended timber floor. The environmental conditions were recorded and VOCs were actively sampled using thermal desorption tubes during the periods of spraying (15 min) and curing (10 min). The tubes were analysed using thermal desorption-gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Four VOCs were quantified in two locations- near the spraying surface and near the worker operating the robot (outside the room). Measurable concentrations of 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,4-dioxane, chlorobenzene and triethyl phosphate (TEP) were quantified inside the room, whilst the concentration near the worker were below the detection limits. The experiment indicates that if workers wear ineffective personal protection equipment, they could be exposed to multiple airborne pollutants due to their close proximity to the spraying surface. Our study is the first to quantify the reduction of workers exposure to four VOCs when robots are used compared to conventional manual spraying.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: Robots can reduce the exposure of people to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during application of spray foam insulation
Event: Healthy Buildings 2019
Location: China
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Publisher version: http://hb2019-asia.org/
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: spray foam, insulation, polyurethane, volatile organic compound, carcinogen, worker exposure, exposure monitoring, robot
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10086008
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