Human Exposure to Mineral Sands DustParticles

摘要

Dust particles were generated during the separation process of mineral sands to obtainrutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite concentrates. Aerosol samples were collected at the village andduring the reprocessing phase of ilmenite. A cascade impactor with six stages was used to collectmineral dust particles with aerodynamic diameter in the range of 0.64 to 19.4 μm. Analyses of aerosolsamples and lichen samples showed that the inhabitants of the Buena village were exposed to airborneparticles in the fine fraction of aerosols. By employing the ~(252)Cf-PDMS technique the chemicalcompound of the elements found in the mineral dust particles samples, in the cerium oxide samplesand in the concentrate of monazite samples were identified. The mass spectra (~(252)Cf-PDMS technique)of dust samples showed the presence of the thorium silicate, thorite and zircon in the fine fraction ofaerosols. The ~(252)Cf-PDMS technique was, also, used to characterize urine sample from a inhabitant ofthe village. The results showed that Buena village inhabitants incorporate monazite particles.