Abstract Objective: Respiratory and dermal exposure to
phenol-formaldehyde resin-glue components used in
plywood manufacturing were assessed. Methods:
Formaldehyde and phenol were monitored in the
workplace air. Formaldehyde was measured both in the
breathing zones of the workers and at stationary sam-
pling sites. Phenol was used as a marker agent for
dermal exposure due to its near-nonvolatility at the
temperatures occurring during the present study and to
its ready absorption through the skin, causing systemic
exposure in addition to local skin rashes. Sampling and
analytical methods were developed to measure the der-
mal exposure to phenol. Sampling was accomplished
with whole-body dosimetry using Tyvek coveralls and
cotton gloves. In addition, a liquid chromatography
method was developed for the analysis of phenol from
dermal exposure samples. Results: As expected, form-
aldehyde was noted to be the major compound causing
respiratory exposure. When exposure assessment was
done on the basis of air samples collected both at sta-
tionary sampling sites and in the breathing zones of the
workers the agreement between the results obtained was
good. The dermal sampling revealed that the workers
were exposed to phenol, but the risk for toxic eects was
slight due to the low concentrations of urinary phenol.
Conclusions: We conclude that it is possible to use the
stationary sampling method for the assessment of re-
spiratory exposure in a plywood factory instead of the
usually more complicated breathing-zone sampling. This
study also demonstrates the importance of taking der-
mal exposure into account, at least due to the ability of
the resins to cause skin rashes, in assessment of the ex-
posure to chemicals in plywood manufacturing.