Successful experiences with a handy equipment to measure dust concentrations in various workplaces.
Performance of a direct-reading handy equipment for dust counting in workroom air, PDR (MIE, USA), was field-tested in comparison with the results of low-volume air sampling-gravimetry. Application in 64 workplaces of various type dust work with dust concentrations of up to 1.6 mg/m3 showed that the agreement was generally good with a correlation coefficient (r) >0.64. The calculated regression line had a slope close to one, and the intercept on the axis was next to nil, suggesting that the measurement with PDR is essentially the same with that by low-volume air sampling. Further analysis by types of dust work disclosed that the correlation was best when examined in 12 foundries with r as large as 0.95. In contrast, r was small (0.52) in 11 welding workplaces, possibly due to smaller particle size of dust generated during welding.
Takada
Shiro
S
Kyoto Industrial Health Association, Japan.
Ito
Kenji
K
Kawaguchi
Atsuo
A
Okamoto
Satoru
S
Higashikawa
Kae
K
Furuki
Katsuya
K
Ikeda
Masayuki
M
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008669:Metallurgy; D009787:Occupational Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017132:Workplace
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust