This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the development of a low-cost personal monitor with real-time sampling capabilities for the dry-cleaning industry. Research studies to be performed during Phase I will include the development of novel chemical micro sensors and their integration with a micro controller based personal monitor. The proposed monitor will provide both continuous and time-weighted average (TWA) data of perchloroethylene (PERC) exposures to accurately manage risks associated with daily job functions (i.e., garment spotting, washer loading and unloading, machine maintenance, clothes pressing, etc.) by workers in this high-risk small business industry. At the present time, high costs associated with continuous exposure methods prevents employers from providing adequate monitoring of worker exposure to PERC. Personal monitors to be developed during Phase I would help reduce the number of injuries and illnesses associated with chemical exposures to PERC as employees are made aware of risks and as employers strive to provide safer workplaces. These monitors would also enable precise exposure assessments to support epidemiologic studies, practical measurement techniques that can be applied at reasonable cost in the workplace, and validated methods for measuring relevant exposure and total dose data.
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