Open AccessThe Transfer of Trichloroethyene (TCE) from a Shower to Indoor Air: Experimental Measurements and Their Implications
Author(s) -
Thomas E. McKone,
John P. Knezovich
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of the air and waste management association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2376-6026
pISSN - 1047-3289
DOI - 10.1080/10473289.1991.10466881
Subject(s) - shower , environmental science , environmental chemistry , environmental engineering , chemistry , physics , thermodynamics , nozzle
Experiments were performed to measure the transfer of trichloroethylene (TCE), a volatile organic compound (VOC), from tap water in showers to indoor air. In these experiments, the loss of TCE from tap water in the shower is based on the difference between influent and effluent concentrations. We have developed and previously published a three-compartment model, which we use to simulate the 24-h concentration history of VOCs in the shower, bathroom, and remaining household volumes resulting from the use of contaminated tap water. An important input to this model is the transfer efficiency of the VOC from water to air. The experiments reveal that the transfer efficiency of TCE from shower water to air has an arithmetic mean value of 61 percent and an arithmetic standard deviation of 9 percent. Analysis of the results shows that there is no statistically significant difference between the transfer efficiency measured with hot (37 degrees C) or cold (22 degrees C) shower water and that there is no statistically significant change in transfer efficiency with time during a 20-min shower. The implications for exposure assessment are considered.