Respirable dust and crystalline silica exposure among different mining sectors in India

BackgroundWork-related exposure to silica is a health hazard worldwide causing i.e. silicosis. Inflammation is known to be a cause of cardiovascular diseases and some studies have presented elevated cardiovascular disease mortality in relation to silica exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between inhalation of exposure to silica in Swedish iron foundries and markers of inflammation and coagulation in blood.MethodsPersonal sampling of respirable dust and silica was performed for 85 subjects in three Swedish iron foundries. Stationary measurements were used to study concentrations of respirable dust and silica, inhalable and total dust, PM10 and PM2.5, the particle surface area and the particle number concentrations. The markers of inflammation analyzed were, interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12), C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A (SAA), and markers of coagulation fibrinogen, factor VIII (FVIII), von Willebrand factor, and d-dimer were measured in plasma or serum. The sampling was performed on the second or third day of a working week following a work free weekend, and additional sampling on the fourth or fifth day.The personal and stationary measurement data were categorized into three classes to introduce high contrast with a minimum of 10 workers in each group. A mixed model analysis adjusted for sex, age, smoking, infections, blood group, sampling day and BMI was used.ResultsFor personal sampling the average 8 hour time-weighted average air concentration of respirable dust were 0.85 mg/m3 and respirable silica 0.052 mg/m3. For the high exposure group, statistically significant increased levels of SAA, fibrinogen and FVIII were determined for some exposure measures.ConclusionsThis study may indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease when observing relations between particle exposure and inflammatory markers.

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Occupational Exposures in an Equestrian Centre to Respirable Dust and Respirable Crystalline Silica

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16173226 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (17) ◽

pp. 3226 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kathleen Bulfin ◽

Hilary Cowie ◽

Karen S. Galea ◽

Alison Connolly ◽

Marie Ann Coggins

Keyword(s):

Geometric Mean ◽

Occupational Exposures ◽

Crystalline Silica ◽

Dust Control ◽

Respirable Dust ◽

Small Scale ◽

Water Suppression ◽

Horse Riding ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Full Shift

Sand-based products are regularly used as footing material on indoor equestrian arenas, creating a potential occupational exposure risk for respirable crystalline silica (RCS) for equestrian workers training and exercising horses in these environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate an equestrian worker’s personal RCS and respirable dust (RD) exposure. Sixteen personal full-shift RD measurements were collected from an equestrian worker and analysed for RD, quartz and cristobalite. Geometric mean exposures of 0.12 mg m−3 and 0.02 mg m−3 were calculated for RD and RCS concentrations, respectively. RCS exposures of between 0.01 to 0.09 mg m−3 were measured on days when the indoor arena surface was not watered, compared to lower exposures (<LOD-0.03 mg m−3) on days when the indoor arena was watered (p < 0.01); however, manual watering is time intensive and less likely to be implemented in practice. This small-scale study provides new data on RCS and RD exposures among equestrian workers. RCS exposures are within the range considered to be associated with increased risk for lung cancer. The use of dust control solutions such as water suppression should be promoted for equestrian work in horse riding arenas. Equestrian workers need to receive occupational health training on the health risks associated with RCS exposure.

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