Risk of exposure to xylene in a pathologic anatomy laboratory

This study intends to assess risk of occupational exposure to xylene in a pathologic anatomy laboratory, of a higher education school. In this study, we estimated xylene in the workplace air using a GC-FID system. Xylene concentrations in laboratory environments were found at the range of 63-174 ppm and varied along the week. The whole average concentration obtained exceeded the Threshold Limit Values-Time Weighted Average (TLV-TWA), established in Decree-Law 24/2012 (50 ppm), and 43.2% of the average concentration was higher to 100 ppm (established in standard NP 1796: 2007).