Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have become a popular lighting choice in recent years despite the good performance of light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. The CFLs that have been produced recently contain 1.5-3.5 mg Hg/lamp. There is evidence that even low doses of mercury are toxic. This study aimed to assess occupational exposure to mercury vapor in workers of a CFLs factory by determining mercury levels in personal and ambient air samples and urine of workers. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 59 workers in a CFLs factory in Iran. Personal and ambient air sampling of mercury vapor levels (MVLs) was performed during a workday. In total, 10 personal samples and 10 ambient air samples of mercury vapor were collected simultaneously from different units of the factory. Urine samples were collected before the work shift. Samples were analyzed using a cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer (CVAAS). The mean of the MVLs in the personal and ambient air samples was 14.78 + 5.76 and 67.10 + 59.37 mg.m À3 , respectively. The highest MVL was measured for the production line supervisor (25 mg.m À3). There was a significant correlation between the MVLs in the ambient air and personal samples (r = 0.84, p = 0.005). The mean urinary mercury level (UML) was 13.85 + 13.14 mg/g creatinine. The UML of 86.4% workers was below the 20 mg/g creatinine recommended by the Centre of Environmental and Occupational Health in Iran. There were significant differences between the UMLs in different areas of the factory (p = 0.041). Lamp breakage was an important determinant of exposure to mercury vapor; hence, effective programs to control mercury vapor are essential in the CFLs industry.
To accomplish this study, the total concentration of suspended particles, PM10 and PM2.5, was mapped at intercity bus stations in the central square of Hamedan. To measure the particulate matter (PM), portable air sampling systems that collect integrated filter samples were used. The PM concentration was collected at various time intervals and measured gravimetrically. The results were then analysed using the ArcView GIS 3.3 software to map the particulate dispersion patterns. The mean concentrations of the total suspended particles (TSP), PM10 and PM2.5 were 1220.94 ± 1418.5, 524.7 ± 217.5 and 386 ± 193.6 μg/m3, which were 16, 7.72 and 4.7 times greater than the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standard, respectively. The PM concentration was not correlated with wind velocity or air temperature, but was correlated with humidity (P = 0.01). Overall, the results of this pilot study indicate that people at bus stations are exposed to respirable particulate matter (RPM) at levels high enough to pose a serious health risk.
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