Roasted
coffee and many
coffee flavorings emit
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including
diacetyl and
2,3-pentanedione. Exposures to VOCs during roasting, packaging, grinding, and flavoring
coffee can negatively impact the respiratory health of workers. Inhalational exposures to
diacetyl and
2,3-pentanedione can cause obliterative
bronchiolitis. This study summarizes exposures to and emissions of VOCs in 17
coffee roasting and packaging facilities that included 10 cafés. We collected 415 personal and 760 area full-shift, and 606 personal task-based air samples for
diacetyl,
2,3-pentanedione,
2,3-hexanedione, and
acetoin using
silica gel tubes. We also collected 296 instantaneous activity and 312 instantaneous source air measurements for 18 VOCs using evacuated canisters. The highest personal full-shift exposure in part per billion (ppb) to
diacetyl [geometric mean (GM) 21 ppb; 95th percentile (P95) 79 ppb] and
2,3-pentanedione (GM 15 ppb; P95 52 ppb) were measured for production workers in flavored
coffee production areas. These workers also had the highest percentage of measurements above the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for
diacetyl (95%) and
2,3-pentanedione (77%). Personal exposures to
diacetyl (GM 0.9 ppb; P95 6.0 ppb) and
2,3-pentanedione (GM 0.7 ppb; P95 4.4 ppb) were the lowest for non-production workers of facilities that did not flavor
coffee. Job groups with the highest personal full-shift exposures to
diacetyl and
2,3-pentanedione were flavoring workers (GM 34 and 38 ppb), packaging workers (GM 27 and 19 ppb) and grinder operator (GM 26 and 22 ppb), respectively, in flavored
coffee facilities, and packaging workers (GM 8.0 and 4.4 ppb) and production workers (GM 6.3 and 4.6 ppb) in non-flavored
coffee facilities. Baristas in cafés had mean full-shift exposures below the RELs (GM 4.1 ppb
diacetyl; GM 4.6 ppb 2,3-pentanedione). The tasks, activities, and sources associated with flavoring in flavored
coffee facilities and grinding in non-flavored
coffee facilities, had some of the highest GM and P95 estimates for both
diacetyl and
2,3-pentanedione. Controlling emissions at grinding machines and flavoring areas and isolating higher exposure areas (e.g., flavoring, grinding, and packaging areas) from the main production space and from administrative or non-production spaces is essential for maintaining exposure control.