A Novel Custom-Made Activated Charcoal Cloth Patch to Quantitatively Assess Dermal Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds

The assessment of dermal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is increasingly important in occupational health, yet standardised methods for quantifying such exposure remain lacking. In this study, a novel, custom-designed activated charcoal cloth (ACC) patch was developed, validated, and tested under workplace conditions to evaluate its suitability for real-world applications. We evaluated a cleaning strategy involving baking ACC patches for 2 hours at 120°C, the sample stability of twelve VOCs under three storage conditions (25°C, 4°C, and −20°C) and the desorption efficiency of 186 VOCs. Post-cleaning analysis confirmed minimal residual contamination, with surface loading of 0.77 to 6.13 µg/patch. Optimal storage stability was observed at −20°C, with no significant degradation over two weeks. Furthermore, 33 VOCs exhibited concentration-dependent desorption profiles consistent with a Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm across a concentration range of 0.0005–1 % v/v. In a proof-of-concept field study, the KUL ACC patch demonstrated performance comparable to that of the commercially available ACC patch, with the added benefit of reducing analytical time from 2 hours to 1 hour and improved robustness. These results highlight the potential of the custom-made ACC patch as a reliable and efficient tool for quantifying VOC deposition and dermal exposure in future occupational studies.