Measurements of Dermal and Oral Emissions from Humans

Human related pollutants (bioeffluents) emitted through skin and via exhaled breath were measured. Two climate chambers were connected via flexible ducts. The ducts were in one chamber attached to a breathing mask, through which five subjects exhaled on one occasion the air into the other chamber: Human bioeffluents emitted orally were in this way isolated from those that were emitted dermally. On another occasion, the subjects exhaled the air into the chamber where they were sitting, thus exposure contained oral and dermal bioeffluents. Another twenty subjects assessed the air quality in the chambers. They judged the air quality in the chamber with dermal bioeffluents to be lower than in the one containing orally exhaled bioeffluents, and similar to the air quality in the chamber with all bioeffluents. The chemical compounds with slightly elevated concentrations differed between the two chambers.