Nasal lavage as analytical tool in assessment of exposure to particulate and microbial aerosols in wood pellet production facilities

Górny, Rafał L.; Gołofit-Szymczak, Małgorzata; Cyprowski, Marcin; Stobnicka-Kupiec, Agata

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134018

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The questionnaire study, assessing adverse health effects resulting from individual exposure, was conducted among 28 workers of 10 Polish WPPF. The full characteristics of surveyed workplaces are presented in a recently published paper by Górny et al [7]. The questionnaire analyzed the subjective feelings of employees related to work in exposure to wood dust and microbiological agents, as well as objective facts about their medically confirmed health status.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pellet production is still a relatively new branch of the wood industry; however, global trade and use of wood pellets as an ecological fuel or hygienic bedding for farm and domestic animals have been constantly growing in the 21 st century. The very few studies conducted so far in wood pellet production facilities (WPPF) have revealed that wood dust, microorganism, endotoxin and (1→3)-β-D-glucan concentrations periodically reach extremely high valuesup to 65 mg/m 3 , 19320 CFU/m 3 , 215 ng/m 3 and 1525 ng/m 3 , respectively [6,7]. All these contaminants, together with individual workers' traits and the characteristic features / factors of their living and working environments may influence the frequency of adverse health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Adverse health outcomes among workers of wood pellet production facilities

Górny

Gołofit-Szymczak

2020

Ann Agric Environ Med.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction. Workers of pellet production facilities (WPPF) are exposed to high concentrations of wood dust and microbial pollutants. Such stimulation may lead to numerous allergic and toxic reactions, infections, and other non-specific syndromes. Objective. To check the influence of individual traits of workers and characteristic features / factors of their living and working environments on the probability of adverse outcomes' appearance. Materials and Method. The questionnaire study assessing adverse health effects resulting from individual exposure was conducted among 28 workers of 10 Polish WPPF. The logistic regression (for dichotomous variables) was used to determine the appearance probability (given as odds ratio) of adverse symptoms or diseases. Results and Conclusions. WPPF workers may have an increased risk of developing work-related adverse health outcomes. Both the individual traits and environmental exposure factors significantly influence the probability of their occurrence.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adverse health outcomes among workers of wood pellet production facilities

Górny

Gołofit-Szymczak

2020

Ann Agric Environ Med.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Table 2 describes the main characteristics from the selected studies. From the selected studies (N = 23), 15 were conducted in the Europe, namely 5 in Norway [29,[36][37][38][39], 4 in Poland [8,[40][41][42], 2 in Switzerland [43,44], 2 in Croatia [45,46], 1 in Finland [47], 1 in Italy [48], and 1 in France [30]. Five studies from Canada [49][50][51][52][53], 1 from Korea [54], and 1 from Iran [55] were also analyzed.…”

Section: Characteristics and Data Obtained In The Selected Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Five studies from Canada [49][50][51][52][53], 1 from Korea [54], and 1 from Iran [55] were also analyzed. The majority of studies (15 out of 23-65.2%) analyzed environmental samples from small and medium size sawmills [18,28,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]51,52], 2 studies (8.7%) were performed in industrial sawmills [29,39], 2 studies (8.7%) in plywood hardwood processing companies [53], 1 (4.4%) in a manufacturing industry [51], 1 (4.4%) in carpentries [48], 1 (4.4%) in pellet production facilities [42], and 1 (4.4%) in a furniture factory [41]. Airborne dust concentrations were below the threshold limit value.…”

Section: Characteristics and Data Obtained In The Selected Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Occupational Exposure Assessments in Sawmills—A Review

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The composition of airborne microflora in sawmills may vary to a great degree depending on the kind of timber being processed and the technology of production being used. Cases of allergy alveolitis and asthma have been reported in woodworkers who were exposed to wood dust largely infected with microorganisms. The aim of this review article is to identify studies where the microbial occupational exposure assessment was performed in sawmills and the characteristics of the contamination found, as well as to identify which sampling methods and assays were applied. This study reports the search of available data published regarding microbial occupational exposure assessment in environmental samples from sawmills, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) methodology. The most used sampling method was air sampling, impaction being the most common method. Regarding analytical procedures for microbial characterization, morphological identification of fungi and bacteria was the most frequent approach. Screening for fungal susceptibility to azoles was performed in two studies and four studies applied molecular tools. Regarding microbial contamination, high fungal levels were frequent, as well as high bacteria levels. Fungal identification evidenced Penicillium as the most frequent genera followed by Aspergillus sp. Mycotoxins were not assessed in any of the analyzed studies. Microbial occupational exposure assessment in sawmills is crucial to allow this risk characterization and management.

show abstract

“…This flora is normally found in soil and on plants [48] and they are responsible for the degradation of organic materials [49]. This is the reason that the indoor air of the wood processing industry can have a higher microbial load as compared to outside air [50]. Therefore, the organic, porous, and moisture-absorbing nature of wood is perceived as microbe heaven.…”

Section: Hygienic and Antimicrobial Behavior Of Wooden Surfacesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hygienic Perspectives of Wood in Healthcare Buildings

Munir

Pailhoriès

Aviat³

et al. 2021

Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wood materials are being adopted as nature-based architectural themes inside the healthcare buildings. Concern is raised that the organic and porous character of wood might support microbial survival. Therefore, this review discusses the hygienic properties of wood including the antimicrobial potential and its cleanability in comparison to smooth surface materials. In general, wood has antimicrobial properties owing to its chemical composition and physical structure. However, the hygienic potential of wood is influenced by the type of wood, age of wood, the cleaning method, surface treatment, and its moisture content. This information is intended to guide decision-makers regarding the use of wood in hygienically sensitive places and researchers to help them identify the variables for better utilizing the hygienic potential of this material.

show abstract

Nasal lavage as analytical tool in assessment of exposure to particulate and microbial aerosols in wood pellet production facilities

Cited by 8 publications

References 36 publications

Adverse health outcomes among workers of wood pellet production facilities

Adverse health outcomes among workers of wood pellet production facilities

Microbial Occupational Exposure Assessments in Sawmills—A Review

Hygienic Perspectives of Wood in Healthcare Buildings

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About