Table 2.

Values of selected VOCs^a (μg/L) measured in participants in NHANES III Priority Toxicant Reference Range Study, 1988–1994, limited to participants with pulmonary function data.

		Total		Males				Females
VOC	LOD	No.b	< LODc	No.	Median	10th	90th	No.	Median	10th	90th
1,1,1-TCE	0.09	513	122	292	0.14	0.06	0.54	221	0.13	0.06	0.41
1,4-DCB	0.07	854	38	491	0.33	0.11	3.89	363	0.30	0.10	4.83
2-Butanone	0.50	908	0	515	5.59	2.41	13.72	393	5.36	2.26	11.28
Acetone	200	852	0	479	1,945	801	7,187	373	1,788	769	6,109
Benzene	0.03	743	113	421	0.07	0.02	0.42	322	0.06	0.02	0.26
Ethylbenzene	0.02	570	33	325	0.07	0.03	0.22	245	0.05	0.02	0.16
m,p-Xylene	0.03	953	362	542	0.13	0.02	0.47	411	0.11	0.02	0.34
o-Xylene	0.04	593	24	343	0.11	0.06	0.21	250	0.10	0.06	0.17
Styrene	0.02	589	74	336	0.05	0.01	0.16	253	0.04	0.01	0.10
Tetrachloroethene	0.03	539	133	306	0.07	0.02	0.38	233	0.06	0.02	0.32
Toluene	0.09	540	4	308	0.33	0.14	1.32	232	0.25	0.13	0.88

LOD, limit of detection. 10th and 90th are percentiles.

^aCompounds were selected if median values were above the limit of detection. VOCs not meeting inclusion criterion: 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2-TCE, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-DCB, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,3-DCB, bromodichloromethane, bromoform, carbon tetrachloride, chlorobenzene, chloroform, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, dibromochloromethane, dibromomethane, methylene chloride, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, and trichloroethene.

^bNumber of available samples for each VOC. Not all VOCs were measured in every individual, resulting in different sample sizes.

^cNumber of participants with samples below the limit of detection.