Workplace Environment and Personal Exposure of PM and PAHs to Workers in Natural Rubber Sheet Factories Contaminated by Wood Burning Smoke

Abstract

The workplace environment in factories producing ribbed smoked sheet rubber (RSS), the interiors which are heavily contaminated by wood burning smoke, was evaluated with a focus on the concentration of suspended particulates and particle-bound PAHs as well as workers' exposure in the breathing zone during the period January, -February, 2008 in Thailand. Seasonal changes in particulate and PAH concentrations are discussed in relation to the amount of RSS produced, wind direction, ventilation type and the geometry of the factory building. The concentration of particulate matter in the workplace was shown to increase nearly linearly with RSS production while being influenced by the wind direction to the open sides of the building and wind speed. Particulate concentrations in the workplace and in the worker's breathing zone were lower than those for other common occupational exposure limits. However, rather high PAH concentrations of 97.4 ± 129 ng/m 3 and 142 ± 184 ng/m 3 were found in the workplace and in the breathing zone, respectively. BaP TEQ concentrations in the workplace ranging from 21.4 to 91.0 ng/m 3 were similar to those in a sinter plant. The workers' exposure to PAHs was similar to that in a sinter plant, a metal recycling plant, a paving bitumen manufacturing plant and a carbon black manufacturing plant. The mass fraction of PAHs in particles in the RSS factory was as high as 0.30 BaP TEQ ng/μg, much higher than that in a carbon black plant (0.004-0.01 BaP TEQ ng/μg). The results reported herein suggest that the workers in the RSS factory have a somewhat high health risk from exposure to PAHs. Natural ventilation by the addition of roof turbines was insufficient in terms of reducing PAHs levels in the workplace although a roof ridge vent was functional and had a positive effect.

Source Characterization and Apportionment of PM10, PM2.5 and PM0.1 by Using Positive Matrix Factorization

“…Several studies show that ambient particulate pollution is associated with certain health and environmental effects (Choosong et al, 2010;Ning et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2012). Trace elements are important components of aerosols, and industrial, residential, and traffic related activities have resulted in a substantial increase in trace metals (e.g., Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni etc.)…”

Development of a Personal Sampler for Evaluating Exposure to Ultrafine Particles

“…By combining the inertial filter with impactor stages for particles larger than 0.5−1 μm, a sampler applicable to field use was developed and tested under various atmospheric environments (Furuuchi et al, , 2008. However, workers are generally exposed to varying pollutant concentrations from almost background level to very high levels, resulting in exposures that deviate significantly from the workplace average (e.g., Choosong et al, 2009). Hence, an accurate evaluation of exposure to pollutants in the breathing zone is essential when the health impact of ultrafine airborne particles is an issue.…”

“…This is particularly true in the case of particles with diameters less than 1 μm (Spruny, 1999;Maynard and Pui, 2007). In a workplace environment contaminated by wood smoke, for example, more than 18% of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was concentrated in smoke particles smaller than 0.43 μm (Choosong et al, 2009). An evaluation of the chemical characteristics of ultrafine particles is, therefore, important to understanding the health impact of airborne particulates that enter the respiratory system.…”

Influences of Aeration and Biological Treatment on the Fates of Aromatic VOCs in Wastewater Treatment Processes

“…Besides natural sources such as vegetation and forest fires, VOCs are used in various industrial processes and applications by different means, such as components and starting substances in industries, and are released from these sources (Nizzetto et al, 2007;Bravo-Linares and Mudge 2009;Joseph et al, 2012;Han et al, 2012;Hossain and Park 2012;. The main reason for VOCs being of concern is their detrimental effects on the environment and public health (Yeh et al, 2011, Choosong et al, 2010. For example, benzene is a chemical substance classified as a probable/ known carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), causing cancers on lung and kidney (USEPA 2012;IARC 2012).…”