Abstract
For veterinary health care workers who have frequent contact with various animals, inhalation of odorous substances attached to clothing or body parts may be one of the factors affecting their health at workplace. However, no available studies have attempted to evaluate the degree of contamination using odor and its objective indicator, total volatile organic compound (TVOC). In this study, we measured TVOC concentrations before and after contact with animals among veterinary nurses working at a veterinary hospital and examined whether they could be used as an indicator of the contamination level. The results showed that the indoor TVOC concentration was significantly higher after the subjects had contact with animals. Furthermore, these fluctuations were consistent with the subject's perception of odor, and observing these fluctuations using indoor TVOC concentrations as an indicator may facilitate the evaluation of a subject's contamination level.
