[The assessment of risk for xylene exposure in a laboratory of anatomy : comparison between computational models and environmental and biological monitoring]

Exposure to xylene in a pathology laboratory was evaluated using two algorithms: Stoffenmanager and Archi.me.de. The results were compared with those obtained by applying the environmental and biological monitoring of the exposure. The use of models required a period of self-learning and, for Stoffenmanager, knowledge of the English language. Information on the toxicity and safety of xylene, available from the medial and safety data sheets, and the conditions and amount of use, obtained through a survey and interviews with operators, have been imputed. Stoffenmanager estimated low the inhalation exposure and medium the dermal exposure, with a value of personal exposure during the work shift of 1.4 mg/m3. A.r.chi.me.d.e. estimated negligible the risk to health. These ratings are consistent with those obtained using the experimental approach. This result, combined with the simplicity and low cost, makes the algorithms very interesting tools for the assessment of chemical risk in the workplace.