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Welding fumes are a main source of occupational exposure to particulate matter (PM), besides gases and ultraviolet radiations, that involves millions of operators worldwide and is related to several health effects, including lung cancer. Our study aims to evaluate the exposure to fine and ultrafine airborne particulate in welding operators working in a steel making factory.In October 2019, air monitoring was performed for four days in five different welding scenarios and in the external area of a steelmaking factory to assess the exposure to airborne particles, ultrafine (UFP) particulate and inhalable fraction, during welding activities. The airborne particles distribution as particle number and mass concentration were measured using a low-pressure electric impactor, model ELPI™ (range of sampling 0.006 μm and 10 μm), whereas the airborne inhalable fraction was collected by filtration, using the IOM Sampler selector.The particle concentration, i.e. the number of particles per cm3 (part/cm3) showed significantly higher exposure figures for nanoscale particles, especially for the fractions included in the last 4 stages sampled by ELPI (from 0.010 μm to 0.071 μm), the figure representing between 85 % and 91 % of the total, whereas for the last 7 stages (0.010 μm–0.314 μm), they represented from 98 % to 99 % of the total. The average figure was approximately 5.01 × 104 part/cm3, while the maximum average was 1.95 × 105 part/cm3 on TIG welding, with a peak of 1.52 × 107 parts/cm3. In terms of mass concentration, the levels of PM inhalable fraction ranged between 0.1 mg/m3 and 1.08 mg/m3.The results of the present study substantially confirm previous studies regarding the distributions in terms of number and mass of welding fumes for SMAW and TIG techniques on steel, the mass concentration levels resulting within the permissible exposure limits (PEL) indicated by OSHA regulations. The results highlighted the importance of the efficiency of localized aspiration systems and the need to apply prevention and protection measures despite the low levels of exposure measured in terms of mass. Conclusion: Overall, The particle number concentrations showed an important contribution in the emission of UFP compared to background levels. The PM inhalable fraction was substantially contained within the PEL. Further studies are needed to better understand the chemical characterization of the particulate also considering further variables of the working process that could influence the levels of exposure to welding fumes.

Given the well-known carcinogenicity of hardwood dust, occupational exposure to oak wood dust has been determined in a furniture factory on different wood processing machines during sanding, planing, and milling. Determination of the mass concentrations of respirable and inhalable oak wood dust from ambient air was performed using personal sampling pumps and two types of filter holders: the Higgins-Dewell respirable dust cyclone, manufactured by Casella (Bedford, UK), and the inhalable dust IOM sampler manufactured by SKC (Dorset, UK). Out of a total of 30 values of inhalable mass concentration, 7 (23%) exceeded the occupational exposure level (OEL). The highest exposure levels for inhalable and respirable wood dust from the belt sander were 1.569 to 3.710 mg/m3 and 0.243 to 1.342 mg/m3, respectively. Worker exposure may be below the level of increased risk of 2 mg/m3 if a machine such as a planer or router is connected to a suction system. The share of respirable particles in the inhalable fraction ranged between 12% and 31%, and for samples with an inhalable mass concentration exceeding 2 mg/m3, the share was lower than 16%, with a slightly decreasing tendency. Thus, the risk of lower respiratory tract diseases increases with higher exposure to inhalable particles, and the OEL is an indirect measure of protection against exposure to respirable particles.

Given the well-known carcinogenicity of hardwood dust, occupational exposure to oak wood dust has been determined in a furniture factory on different wood processing machines during sanding, planing, and milling. Determination of the mass concentrations of respirable and inhalable oak wood dust from ambient air was performed using personal sampling pumps and two types of filter holders: the Higgins-Dewell respirable dust cyclone, manufactured by Casella (Bedford, UK), and the inhalable dust IOM sampler manufactured by SKC (Dorset, UK). Out of a total of 30 values of inhalable mass concentration, 7 (23%) exceeded the occupational exposure level (OEL). The highest exposure levels for inhalable and respirable wood dust from the belt sander were 1.569 to 3.710 mg/m³ and 0.243 to 1.342 mg/m³, respectively. Worker exposure may be below the level of increased risk of 2 mg/m³ if a machine such as a planer or router is connected to a suction system. The share of respirable particles in the inhalable fraction ranged between 12% and 31%, and for samples with an inhalable mass concentration exceeding 2 mg/m3, the share was lower than 16%, with a slightly decreasing tendency. Thus, the risk of lower respiratory tract diseases increases with higher exposure to inhalable particles, and the OEL is an indirect measure of protection against exposure to respirable particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welding fumes are a main source of occupational exposure to particulate matter (PM), besides gases and ultraviolet radiations, that involves millions of operators worldwide and is related to several health effects, including lung cancer. Our study aims to evaluate the exposure to fine and ultrafine airborne particulate in welding operators working in a steel making factory.In October 2019, air monitoring was performed for four days in five different welding scenarios and in the external area of a steelmaking factory to assess the exposure to airborne particles, ultrafine (UFP) particulate and inhalable fraction, during welding activities. The airborne particles distribution as particle number and mass concentration were measured using a low-pressure electric impactor, model ELPI™ (range of sampling 0.006 μm and 10 μm), whereas the airborne inhalable fraction was collected by filtration, using the IOM Sampler selector.The particle concentration, i.e. the number of particles per cm 3 (part/cm 3 ) showed significantly higher exposure figures for nanoscale particles, especially for the fractions included in the last 4 stages sampled by ELPI (from 0.010 μm to 0.071 μm), the figure representing between 85 % and 91 % of the total, whereas for the last 7 stages (0.010 μm-0.314 μm), they represented from 98 % to 99 % of the total. The average figure was approximately 5.01 × 10 4 part/cm 3 , while the maximum average was 1.95 × 10 5 part/cm 3 on TIG welding, with a peak of 1.52 × 10 7 parts/cm 3 . In terms of mass concentration, the levels of PM inhalable fraction ranged between 0.1 mg/m 3 and 1.08 mg/m 3 .The results of the present study substantially confirm previous studies regarding the distributions in terms of number and mass of welding fumes for SMAW and TIG techniques on steel, the mass concentration levels resulting within the permissible exposure limits (PEL) indicated by OSHA regulations. The results highlighted the importance of the efficiency of localized aspiration systems and the need to apply prevention and protection measures despite the low levels of exposure measured in terms of mass., Conclusion: Overall, The particle number concentrations showed an important contribution in the emission of UFP compared to background levels. The PM inhalable fraction was substantially contained within the PEL. Further studies are needed to better understand the chemical characterization of the particulate also considering further variables of the working process that could influence the levels of exposure to welding fumes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are endocrine disrupters and can disrupt the functioning of different hormones, causing adverse effects on human health. Due to the potential exposure to phthalates in office rooms, their concentrations in the air of these premises after their renovation and furnishing were determined. The aim of the study was to determine the content of these compounds in the gas phase and adsorbed on the particles. Thus, the combined sampler with filters and adsorption tube was used for air sampling. Samples were analyzed by GC-MS. The gas fraction was dominated by dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and the inhalable fraction by dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and 2-(diethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). The total concentration of phthalates in the respirable fraction in the furnished rooms was as much as 92% of the phthalates determined in the inhalable fraction. In the rooms immediately after renovation and those arranged and used by employees for 7 months, their concentration in the respirable fraction did not exceed 25% of the phthalates in the inhalable fraction. Phthalate concentration in the renovated rooms after 7 months of their usage dropped by 84% in relation to PAEs concentration in newly arranged rooms and by 68% in relation to the phthalate concentration in empty rooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability of the measurement method in determining the mass concentration of wood dust relates to the sampling time for the detection of wood particles in the ambient air of woodworking places. The aim of this study was to calculate the mass limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and the minimal sampling time (tLOD and tLOQ) for determination and quantification of samples, based on the hardwood dust mass concentration at various woodworking places in the sawmills, floor production factories, and carpentries. Determination of the mass concentration of respirable, inhalable, and total hardwood dust from ambient air was performed using personal sampling pumps and three types of filter holders: respirable dust cyclone, Institute of Occupational Medicine IOM inhalable dust sampler, and total dust open-faced filter holder. The average limit of detection amounts to 0.052, 0.083, and 0.167 mg for respirable, inhalable, and total hardwood dust, respectively. The minimal detection sampling time for collecting all observed types of dust fractions ranged between 1.12 h and 1.72 h. The minimal quantification time for all collected hardwood dust samples ranged from 3.75 h to 5.51 h. Pearson's correlation test showed that the reliability of the measurements was affected more by the dustiness of the workspace than the real sampling time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of phthalates measurements in 4 companies producing or processing materials made of rubber and plastics. Six priority phthalates were determined in air samples both in the respirable and inhalable particle fractions. For the determination of phthalates, GC/MS was applied, which ensures the determination of the method at the level of 0.066 µg/m3 for fibreglass filter and polyurethane foam and 0.022 µg/m3 for Amberlite resin XAD-2, while taking 720 L of air samples. The results of the measurements showed that dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) dominated in all the investigated companies in the gaseous phase of air sampling. For example, in a company producing rubber details for car accessories, the concentration of DBP ranged from 54 to 74% of the total phthalate concentration determined in the gaseous phase. The inhalable particle fraction was dominated by two compounds, i.e. DBP and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate DEHP, and their total concentration was a significant percentage, on average over 83% of the sum of all phthalates determined in the inhalable fraction in the investigated companies. As particle size affects the location of phthalate deposition in the respiratory tract, the determination of concentration levels of individual phthalates in the gaseous phase and in inhalable and respirable fractions can provide valuable information that can be used to improve the health and safety of workers at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational exposure to wood dust can be responsible for many different harmful health effects, especially in workers employed in the wood industry. The assessment of wood dust adverse effects to humans, as well as the interpretation of its concentration measurements carried out to assess potential occupational exposure are very difficult. First of all, it is due to possible occurrence of different kind of wood dust in the workplace air, namely wood dust from dozens of species of trees belonging to 2 kinds of botanical gymnosperms and angiosperms, as well as to its different chemical composition. Material and Methods: Total dust and respirable wood dust in the workplace air in the furniture industry was determined using the filtration-gravimetric method in accordance with Polish Standards PN-Z-04030-05:1991 and PN-Z-04030-06:1991. Air samples were collected based on the principles of individual dosimetry. Results: Total dust concentrations were 0.84–13.92 mg/m3 and inhalable fraction concentrations, obtained after the conversion of total dust by applying a conversion factor of 1.59, were 1.34–22.13 mg/m3. Respirable fraction concentrations were 0.38–4.04 mg/m3, which makes approx. 25% of the inhalable fraction on average. The highest concentrations occurred in grinding and the lowest during milling processes of materials used in the manufacture of furniture. Conclusions: The results indicate that the share of respirable fraction in the inhalable fraction of wood dust is considerable. Due to the determination of the threshold limit value (TLV) for the inhalable fraction of wood dust, it is necessary to replace the previously used samplers for total dust with samplers that provide quantitative separation of wood dust inhalable fractions in accordance with the convention of this fraction as defined in PN-EN 481:1998. Med Pr 2017;68(1):45–60

While exposure to air contaminants from metal arc welding at workplaces has been intensively investigated over the last five decades, other hot work processes, such as flame and plasma cutting, air carbon arc gouging, and surface grinding have not received as much attention. Exposures to particulate matter (PM) during selected hot work processes, such as metal active gas (MAG) and manual metal arc (MMA) welding, flame and plasma cutting, air carbon arc gouging, and surface grinding were measured. Respirable, inhalable, and "total" fractions of the PM were collected with different air samplers in the workers' breathing zone. Concentrations of PM, chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) were determined in the samples by using gravimetric analysis and plasma-based analytical atomic spectrometry techniques. Bio-accessibility of the elements was investigated by using a synthetic lung lining fluid (Hatch´s solution) for the leaching of soluble metal compounds in the collected samples. Short term (15–75 min) workplace air concentrations of PM, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni and Cu in the workers´ breathing zone during hot work processes were found to be high compared to the current 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) exposure limit values (ELVs) in use in many countries. The short-term median concentrations of PM during the different hot work processes varied between 6.0 and 88.7 mg m−3 and between 15.1 and 193 mg m−3 in the respirable and inhalable fractions, respectively. The highest median concentration of Fe (107 mg m−3) and Mn (28.7 mg m−3) was found in the inhalable fraction during plasma cutting and air carbon arc gouging, respectively. More than 40% of the inhalable PM generated during flame and plasma cutting, air carbon arc gouging and surface grinding was present in the respirable fraction. There was large variation in the bio-accessibility of the elements in PM collected during the different hot work processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The article presents the results of the determination of the inhalable and thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) in 3 workplaces producing or processing this chemical. Material and Methods: To collect thoracic fractions of sulfuric acid(VI) Parallel Particle Impactor (PPI) was used. To isolate inhalable fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) from the air we used a sampler developed at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), United Kingdom. Parallel Particle Impactor and IOM samplers worked with pumps at a flow of 2 l/min. For the chromatographic determination of the inhalable and thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) in workplace the ion chromatography with conductometric detection was used. Results: Depending on the sampling place the concentration of thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) was: 0.0015–0.01 mg/m3 in workplace A, 0.0019–0.25 mg/m3 in workplace B, and 0.002–0.01 mg/m3 in workplace C. Of 22 tested workstations in workplace B only 7 exceeded the threshold limit value (TLV) for the concentration of thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI). Conclusions: The results confirmed the utility of PPI for sampling the thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI). The studies show that at 22 workstations in the establishments producing or processing sulfuric acid(VI) thoracic fraction of acid is emitted to the work environment. The collected data showed that the thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) represents on average 64% of the inhalable fraction. Med Pr 2016;67(4):509–515

In recent years there has been a major concern about air pollution problems caused by human activities, especially associated with the release of polluting compounds in concentrations that can cause environmental damage and health risks. This article aims to present a review of the main inorganic components present in the inhalable fraction of atmospheric particulate matter. In this context, metals and other constituent ions in those fractions may act in the respiratory tract, promoting an increase of carcinogenic and / or respiratory diseases. It is concluded that, despite the growth in quantification and qualification studies the chemical composition of pollutants as well as the evidence of the effects of those components to health quality, several studies are necessary to characterize the particulate's quality of matter in a particular region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air Pollution is a problem because human activities threaten to overload the atmosphere with wastes beyond the ability of wind and weather to disperse and dilute these pollutants. An effective air resources management program must take into account, the effects of meteorological parameters on transport and dilution and the natural cleansing processes of the atmosphere. Particulate pollutants tend to coagulate, increase in size and fall to earth. Thus coarse or inhalable particulates generally cause air pollution problems of a localized nature. However, lighter particulate and gaseous pollutant are influenced by action of atmospheric diffusion and may be carried to great distances from their sources of origin. Any study of air pollution should include a study of the weather patterns (meteorology) of the local area because the fate of air pollutants is influenced by the movements and characteristics of the air mass into which they are emitted. The main concentration of respirable suspended particulate matter was 104.17 - 260.42 and the inhalable suspended particulate matter was in a range of 104.17 - 434.03. The correlation of inhalable and respirable suspended particulate matter was good and positive (r = 0.73.); And the correlation of respirable and inhalable fraction with wind speed and temperature were positive while with relative, humidity were negative. The spatial distribution of inhalable and respirable were significant and remarkable (P<0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woodworkers' exposure to airborne particles is measured with different sampling techniques throughout the world. Due to a great number of exposure data obtained with different samplers, European countries have aimed over the last ten years to find a conversion factor for mass concentrations that would render these measurements comparable. Following the accepted EU standards and regulations, we replaced a 25 mm open-faced (OF) filter holder with an IOM head to determine woodworkers' exposure to inhalable dust and establish an IOM/OF sampler ratio that might serve as a reliable factor for converting the existing OF data to IOM dust mass concentration in the industrial environment. For this side-by-side sampling we used personal 25 mm OF (N=29) and IOM (N=29) sampling heads over eight working hours. The obtained IOM/OF ratios ranged between 0.7 and 2.3. However, mass concentrations obtained by IOM and OF samplers did not significantly differ. Our findings suggest that there is no need for conversion of the existing OF data for workers exposed to wood dust, provided that dust mass concentrations in the working environment range between 1 mg m-3 and 7 mg m-3. Future side-by-side measurements should also involve environments with low wood dust mass concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several samplers (IOM, CIP 10-I v1, ACCU-CAP™, and Button) were evaluated at various wood industry companies using the CALTOOL system. The results obtained show that compared to the CALTOOL mouth, which can be considered to be representative of the exposure of a person placed at the same location under the same experimental conditions, the concentrations measured by the IOM, CIP 10-I v1, and ACCU-CAP™ samplers are not significantly different (respectively, 1.12, 0.94, and 0.80 compared to 1.00), the Button sampler (0.86) being close to the ACCU-CAP™ sampler. Comparisons of dust concentrations measured using both a closed-face cassette (CFC) and one of the above samplers were also made. In all, 235 sampling pairs (sampler + CFC) taken at six companies provided us with a comparison of concentrations measured using IOM, CIP 10-I v1, ACCU-CAP™, and Button samplers with concentrations measured using a CFC. All the studied samplers collected systematically more dust than the CFC (2.0 times more for the IOM sampler, 1.84 times more for the CIP 10-I v1 sampler, 1.68 times more for the ACCU-CAP™ sampler, and 1.46 times more for the Button sampler). The literature most frequently compares the IOM sampler with the CFC: published results generally show larger differences compared with the CFC than those found during our research. There are several explanations for this difference, one of which involves CFC orientation during sampling. It has been shown that concentrations measured using a CFC are dependent on its orientation. Different CFC positions from one sampling session to another are therefore likely to cause differences during CFC–IOM sampler comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational exposure to wood dust can be responsible for many different harmful health effects, especially in workers employed in the wood industry. The assessment of wood dust adverse effects to humans, as well as the interpretation of its concentration measurements carried out to assess potential occupational exposure are very difficult. First of all, it is due to possible occurrence of different kind of wood dust in the workplace air, namely wood dust from dozens of species of trees belonging to 2 kinds of botanical gymnosperms and angiosperms, as well as to its different chemical composition., Material and Methods: Total dust and respirable wood dust in the workplace air in the furniture industry was determined using the filtration-gravimetric method in accordance with Polish Standards PN-Z-04030-05:1991 and PN-Z-04030-06:1991. Air samples were collected based on the principles of individual dosimetry., Results: Total dust concentrations were 0.84-13.92 mg/m 3 and inhalable fraction concentrations, obtained after the conversion of total dust by applying a conversion factor of 1.59, were 1.34-22.13 mg/m 3 . Respirable fraction concentrations were 0.38-4.04 mg/m 3 , which makes approx. 25% of the inhalable fraction on average. The highest concentrations occurred in grinding and the lowest during milling processes of materials used in the manufacture of furniture., Conclusions: The results indicate that the share of respirable fraction in the inhalable fraction of wood dust is considerable. Due to the determination of the threshold limit value (TLV) for the inhalable fraction of wood dust, it is necessary to replace the previously used samplers for total dust with samplers that provide quantitative separation of wood dust inhalable fractions in accordance with the convention of this fraction as defined in PN-EN 481:1998. Med Pr 2017;68(1):45-60., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

Background: The article presents the results of the determination of the inhalable and thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) in 3 workplaces producing or processing this chemical., Material and Methods: To collect thoracic fractions of sulfuric acid(VI) Parallel Particle Impactor (PPI) was used. To isolate inhalable fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) from the air we used a sampler developed at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), United Kingdom. Parallel Particle Impactor and IOM samplers worked with pumps at a flow of 2 l/min. For the chromatographic determination of the inhalable and thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) in workplace the ion chromatography with conductometric detection was used., Results: Depending on the sampling place the concentration of thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) was: 0.0015-0.01 mg/m3 in workplace A, 0.0019-0.25 mg/m3 in workplace B, and 0.002-0.01 mg/m3 in workplace C. Of 22 tested workstations in workplace B only 7 exceeded the threshold limit value (TLV) for the concentration of thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI)., Conclusions: The results confirmed the utility of PPI for sampling the thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI). The studies show that at 22 workstations in the establishments producing or processing sulfuric acid(VI) thoracic fraction of acid is emitted to the work environment. The collected data showed that the thoracic fraction of sulfuric acid(VI) represents on average 64% of the inhalable fraction. Med Pr 2016;67(4):509-515., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)