TITLE
Gasoline and Methanol Exposures from Automobiles Within Residences
and Attached Garages

AUTHOR(S)
Clifford P. Weisel, Nicholas J. Lawryk, Alan H. Huber, and Gennaro
H. Crescenti

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Inst.
UMDNJ -- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, N.J.



SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment
Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC

ABSTRACT
A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of the
air concentrations within a garage microenvironment.  The air
exchange rate between the garage and the house, the windspeed in
front of the garage door, the fuel tank temperature, and the air
concentrations of benzene (from gasoline) and methanol (from M100
fuel) were measured after an automobile containing U.S. summer
grade gasoline or a fabricated fuel tank containing M100 fuel
entered the garage and its door was closed.  The air concentrations
in the garage were greatly elevated after the car or M100 fuel tank
entered the garage compared to the ambient levels which were
present prior to the car's entry.  A steady state concentration was
often reached within 90 minutes of the automobile or fuel tank
entering the garage and the air concentration remained level until
the fuel tank temperature returned to ambient levels, several hours
later.  The maximum concentration obtained was a function of the
fuel tank temperature.  These studies indicate that parking an
automobile in residential garages results in increased exposures to
persons spending time within the home and in the garage
microenvironment.