Key Words Volatile organic compounds

Dry-cleaning Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a class of pollutants present, to a greater or lesser degree, in all indoor industrial and non-industrial environ-ments. Such pollution may be increased by the use of specific compounds. For example, perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene used for the dry-cleaning of clothing provide a source of indoor air pollution in establishments which carry out this work. To study this, inquiries were made at 30 dry-cleaning shops in the Athens area. Air samples were collected from 19 of these and the concen-trations of 6 selected VOCs (benzene, perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, m-and p-xylenes, nonane) in the air measured. This study showed that concentra-tions of some VOCs were beyond the ACGIH threshold limit values. How-ever, although no particular study was made, there were no complaints of ill health in spite of the toxic implications which may reflect a typical healthy worker effect