[Comparison between two granulometric selectors--Dorr-Oliver and GS3--in respirable particles sampling for analytical measurement of quartz content].
BACKGROUND
A Local Health Unit in the Umbria Region of Italy carried out environmental investigations to estimate exposure to respirable particles among workers in a number of companies belonging to the ceramics and brick industries manufacturing categories.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this paper was to estimate the degree of agreement of two sampling methods, Dorr-Oliver and GS3 selectors. Both selectors are deemed to comply with the respirable particles sampling reported in European Standard EN 481/1993.


METHODS
For each worker, respirable particles and the quartz contained therein were collected using Dorr-Oliver and GS3 selectors simultaneously, so that quartz exposure was also measured.


CONCLUSIONS
The comparison between the two series of airborne concentrations of respirable particles (collected with the two selectors), showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05 with Student's t test). Moreover, Pearson's coefficient showed a low correlation between the two series of data. A similar conclusion was obtained analysing quartz airborne concentrations. The results seem to confirm that the two sampling methods possess a different capture power ofparticles as a function of their size.
Miscetti
G
G
U.O.C. Prevenzione e Sicurezza Negli Ambienti di Lavoro--ASL2 Perugia. gmiscetti@ausl2.umbria.it
Luciani
Giuliana
G
Mazzanti
Manuela
M
Sicilia
L
L
Bodo
Patrizia
P
Garofani
Patrizia
P
Sargeni
A
A
Berrettoni
E
E
D004391:Dust; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D011791:Quartz / Q000032:analysis*; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D004391:Dust; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011791:Quartz