Particle Size Distributions And Health-related Exposures Of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins And Dibenzofurans (pcdd/fs) Of Sinter Plant Workers

摘要

This study measured particle size distributions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in two workplace atmospheres of the sintering grate and rough roll shredder in a sintering plant, and to assess their workers' health-related exposures. We found that the PCDD/F concentration of the sintering grate (site A = 14.47 pg m~(-3)) was lower than that of the rough roll shredder (site B=17.20 pg m~(-3)). Particle size distributions of PCDD/Fs were in the form of the unimodal with the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of 4.74 μm and 5.23 μm, and geometric standard deviation (σ_g) of 3.15 and 2.15 for the site A and B, respectively. The above results suggest that the workplace of the site A had a less fraction of coarse particles than that of the site B. The estimated PCDD/F concentrations of the inhalable fraction (11.0 pg m~(-3)) and thoracic fraction (8.89 pg m~(-3)) of the site A were lower than those of the site B (12.4 and 9.39 pg m~(-3), respectively). But to the contrary the estimated respirable fraction of the site A (5.05 pg m~(-3)) was slightly higher than that of the site B (4.93 pg m~(-3)). Our results clearly indicate the importance to conduct particle size segregating samplings for assessing human PCDD/F exposures.