Exposure assessment to inhalable and respirable dust in the post — earthquake construction sites in the city of l’Aquila

Abstract

Objectives Following an earthquake that occurred in middle Italy in 2009, the involved territory hosted in 10 years thousands of construction sites. The aim of this study is to assess inhalable, respirable, and respirable crystalline silica exposure of the construction workers involved in the rebuilding activities. Methods Six construction companies joined the study and hosted the air sampling activities. We identified four work tasks: bricklayer and similar; scaffolder and carpenter; manual demolition; other tasks. We reported 8‐h time‐weighted concentrations. Results The “All tasks” geometric mean concentration of inhalable dust was 4.73 mg/m 3 and the higher, TLV exceeding exposure was observed for “Manual demolition workers” (13.92 mg/m 3 , GM). The “All tasks” geometric mean concentration of respirable dust was 0.25 mg/m 3 and no TLV‐exceeding exposure (geometric mean values) was observed among the work‐related groups. About the respirable crystalline silica dust exposure, the “All tasks” average concentration was 0.004 mg/m 3 . No TLV‐exceeding exposure was observed among the whole data sample. Conclusions The comparison of the results shows that manual demolition workers are exposed to high levels of inhalable dust, exceeding the TLV‐TWA (Threshold Limit Values‐Time Weighted Average) limit of 10 mg/m 3 . About the respirable dust concentration, none of the analyzed work task dust concentrations exceeded the TLV‐TWA limit of 3 mg/m 3 (geometric mean values). Measurements of respirable crystalline silica dust have shown levels below the threshold limit value of 0.025 mg/m 3 . Our findings overall match with the available scientific data.

Occupational risk perception of construction workers: a cross sectional study

“…As shown in Table 2, perception of workers was, on average, low. This perception contradicts the findings reported in the scientific literature (13,22,23). Our interviewees assigned the highest mean value to physical risks exposure and the lowest to biological risks.…”

“…The construction industry is one of the most dangerous businesses for the safety and health of workers. Indeed, construction workers suffer from many work-related illnesses and are subject to workrelated injuries (10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Impact of Earthquakes on Lung Health

“… 14 Following an earthquake in central Italy in 2009, the affected region witnessed thousands of construction sites over the course of 10 years. Mastrantonio et al 20 determined that workers engaged in manual demolition activities were exposed to inhalable dust particles exceeding the threshold limit value of 10 mg/m 3 .…”

Analysis of respirable dust exposure data collected at a Zambian copper mine between 2017 and 2022

“…Similarly, a study by Mannetje et al ( 19 ) reported a decline in dust exposure over time for a pooled analysis of studies conducted from different parts of the world. In the construction industry, Mastrantonio et al ( 15 ) assessed inhalable, respirable, and respirable crystalline silica dust exposure among construction workers (bricklayers, scaffolders and carpenters) in rebuilding activities. The results revealed that geometric means for inhalable dust, respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica were 4.3 mg/m 3 , 0.25 mg/m 3 and 0.004 mg/m 3 , respectively, which implied that all jobs were below the ACGIH TLV of 3 mg/m 3 for dust and 0.025 mg/m 3 for crystalline silica.…”

“…A number of studies indicating that respirable dust exposure can cause occupational respiratory diseases have been conducted and they highlight specific jobs in the mining industry where workers may be highly exposed to respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica dust (13)(14)(15). All mine workers are potentially at risk of exposure to respirable dust in surface or underground operations.…”