4.7 Article

Respiratory functions and health risk assessment in inhalational exposure to vinyl acetate in the process of carpet manufacturing using Monte Carlo simulations

期刊

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
卷 30, 期 12, 页码 32560-32572

出版社

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24469-5

关键词

Vinyl acetate; Persian carpets; Occupational exposure; Human health risk assessment; Pulmonary function; Monte Carlo simulation

向作者/读者索取更多资源

This study conducted an inhalational health risk assessment for employees exposed to vinyl acetate (VA). The results showed a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and significant differences in lung function parameters among the exposed employees. Furthermore, most of the working positions had a substantial inhalational non-cancerogenic risk from VA exposure. The study recommends reducing VA concentrations and working hours for the exposed employees.
Vinyl acetate (VA) is a volatile compound and the main compound of the carpenter's glue. VA causes upper respiratory tract irritation, cough, and hoarseness in occupational exposure. As Iran is one of the biggest carpet producers in the world, this study was carried out to determine the inhalational health risk for employees exposed to VA. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first health risk assessment and the first evaluation of the lung functions and respiratory symptoms in employees exposed to VA. In the six finishing shops of carpet manufacturing industry in Kashan city, Iran the cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2022. The subjects comprised of forty male employees exposed to VA and of forty non-exposed employees in the reference group. VA analyses in the workers' breathing zones were performed based on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 1453 Method. VA concentrations were measured using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Inhalational risk assessment to VA was performed using the United States Environmental Protection Agency method and the Monte Carlo simulations. Respiratory functions were determined using the spirometry indices. In the exposed employees, considerably higher prevalence rates of pulmonary symptoms were observed in comparison with the control group. Statistical analysis showed a remarkable difference between lung function parameters measured in the case and the control groups. The VA Hazard Quotient (HQ) values for all working posts, except the quality control unit, were > 1 indicating the substantial inhalational non-cancerogenic risk. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the VA concentrations and exposure time had the most significant contribution in the uncertainty assessment. Therefore, it is recommended to decrease exposure to VA concentrations and to reduce the working time of exposed employees.

作者

我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。

评论

主要评分

4.7
评分不足

次要评分

新颖性
-
重要性
-
科学严谨性
-
评价这篇论文

推荐

暂无数据
暂无数据