Side-by-Side Determination of Workers’ Exposure to Wood Dust with IOM And Openfaced Samplers

Abstract

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.

Contamination of pine and birch wood dust with microscopic fungi and determination of its sterol contents

“…Due to the high risk of occupational diseases resulting from the exposure of employees to wood dust numerous safety measures have been implemented as part of good manufacturing practices (8). However, this is frequently insufficient to eliminate the hazards connected with the presence of moulds in the work environment (9). For this reason, in this study it was decided to analyse the contamination with mycobiota in wood dust at various work stations in a plant producing wooden furniture elements and other small wood products.…”

How improvements in monitoring and safety practices lowered airborne formaldehyde concentrations at an Italian university hospital: a summary of 20 years of experience

“…Air indoor and personal FA exposure was investigated at three locations: i) operating theatres, where freshly removed surgical samples are put into containers, ii) the Pathology Lab specimen reception, where all pathology samples are received, identified, and prioritised, and iii) the Pathology Lab gross room, where residents, pathologists, and trained technicians examine and dissect tissue specimens. Indoor exposure was measured in vapour and particulate matter samples taken monthly by positioning measuring instruments on the floor at four points, with an inlet at a height of 1.5 meters ( 27 , 28 ).…”

The Impact of Body Posture on Heart Rate Strain during Tree Felling

“…Forest workers navigate and carry and operate their equipment in difficult terrain. During their working hours, chainsaw operators are exposed to vibration [ 17 , 18 ], noise [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], dust [ 23 , 24 ], and exhaust fumes [ 25 , 26 ]. Another problem is the frequent adoption of bad body postures during chainsaw operation, a multifactorial issue [ 27 ] that unites topographic features, type and size of equipment, previous vocational training record, and anthropometric features to frequently arrive at the rather simplistic yet at the same time deeply rooted in forestry practice saying that “no two trees can be harvested in the same way”.…”