The role of environmental monitoring in chemical risk assessment: the experience in service laboratories at the University of Urbino

Urbino University offers a wide typology of worker activities, one of which is represented by the so-called service laboratories, dealing with wooden artefacts, ancient canvases and contemporary art. The health and safety of professional figures and internal personnel involved in the mentioned activities must be guaranteed, as for all other University workers. This investigation aimed to evaluate the chemical risk in three service laboratories of the University of Urbino, starting from the MoVaRisCh model and supporting it, where deemed appropriate, by environmental chemical monitoring. The final output of the MoVaRisCh model, in all cases, indicated a high-risk condition, while chemical monitoring did not reveal the presence of hazardous substances at values above the reference TWA, OEL, or STEL; indeed, in most cases, the concentrations were below the instrument’s detection limit. The results obtained allow us to affirm that when the model predicts a risk that is too high for the type of activity carried out, as occurred in our service laboratories, environmental monitoring can be a useful tool for further investigation. Our final approach, in agreement with the employer, was not to select the most favourable information, but to inform workers of the results, illustrating the differences and explaining the methodologies used, reassuring them about the risks associated with the activities examined and taking adequate prevention measures.