About the webinar:
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic chemicals in degreasers routinely used in auto shops. This presentation will describe and share preliminary results from the Safer Degreaser Study, during which we visited auto repair shops before or after they participated in a public health intervention led by the Hazardous Waste Program, in King County, WA, which helps transition businesses from using VOC-based degreasers to safer alternatives. We aimed to characterize the exposure to VOCs typically found in degreasers by measuring VOCs in blood, urine, and exhaled breath before and after auto workers’ shifts. Additionally, we compared area and personal breathing zone concentration of these VOCs in shops that have switched to safer products to those that have not.
Dr. Diana Ceballos is an assistant professor in the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. Her life’s passion is to address health disparities by identifying environmental factors that cause disease, injury or impairment. These factors range from emerging hazards related to new technologies to known hazards that are transferred to vulnerable populations, including workers in small businesses, minorities and workers in developing economies. She strives to better understand the connection between exposure to hazards in the workplace and the community, including in the home, where workers may transfer hazards to their children.
