BTEX in indoor air of beauty salons: Risk assessment, levels and factors influencing their concentrations

Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) were investigated in indoor air quality of 50 beauty salons in Ardabil, Iran (2017). Ten liters of air samples were collected from each salons regarding the recommended method and analyzed by GC-FID for BTEX concentration. Also, structural and operational conditions of the salons were studied with a self-designed questioner. The results of this study show that the mean concentration of benzene (32.40 +/- 26.38) higher than the recommended levels by Health Canada, ANSES and HKSAR. Among the BTEX, ethylbenzene (62.38 +/- 32.37) has the most concentrations in the salons. Subsequently, the cancer risk values in different age groups of birth to < 6, 6 to < 21, and 21 to < 81 for benzene (1.83 x 10(-3), 2.76 x 10(-4) and 1.50 x 10(-4), respectively) and ethylbenzene (4.9 x 10(-4), 7.30 x 10(-5) and 3.52 x 10(-5), respectively) for long time exposure were drastically higher than the recommended levels. The results showed that the benzene concentration is significantly influenced by the structural and operational conditions of type of ventilation system, area of the salons, the number of people in the salon, number of services in the salons, and while doing of bridal makeup.