Influence of painting and background materials on BTEX levels in indoor environments

This study investigates the indoor air pollution generated by painting activities, particularly the emissions of volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). To evaluate the impact of ventilation, background materials (chipboard, wood, plaster) and paint types (plastic, acrylic, oily) on BTEX concentrations, air sampling and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis were conducted. The results demonstrated substantial reductions in ethylbenzene (41.07 µg/m 3 /day) and o-xylene (73.60 µg/m 3 /day) on ventilation days. However, the highest benzene and toluene concentrations were 550.98 and 364.64 µg/m 3 , respectively. Background materials significantly influenced BTEX levels, while paint type only affected ethylbenzene, o-xylene and combined xylenes. Notably, the cancer risk (CR) was highest among individuals aged 52–60 years, with all CR values exceeding 10 −4 , indicating elevated risk according to EPA guidelines. In contrast, the hazard quotient values were below 1, meeting USEPA and WHO safety thresholds. These findings emphasize the importance of ventilation and material selection in minimizing BTEX exposure, with implications for public health, indoor air quality (IAQ) management and control policies.