title: Exposure to respirable particulates and silica in and around the stone crushing units in central India.
abstract: Stone crushing unit workers suffer from particulate matters and respirable silica at work and in their residents nearby. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the area and personal exposure concentration of respirable particulate matters and silica in workplaces and in surrounding villages. PM(10), PM(4) and PM(2.5) were considered for unit area measurement and PM(4) and PM(2.5) were considered for personal exposure measurements. The ambient PM(10) and indoor respirable particulate sampling and analyses were carried out in two neighboring villages adjacent to a cluster of 100 stone crushing units in central India. The study was conducted in two years with varied seasons to provide baseline data on the existing particulate concentration with and without control intervention. Monitoring and analytical criteria were fulfilled according to the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (NIOSH), USA protocol. The study reports the higher particulates and respirable silica with respect to the national and international guidelines in and around the study units. However, in nearby villages, the particulate concentrations and silica were comparatively less. An innovative dust abatement dry engineering control system was installed as a pilot work to reduce dust emission from the unit and the results afterward were found to be encouraging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai-600 116, India. teestamuk@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Krishnendu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Ayyappan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
authors.forename: Raghunathan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramani
authors.forename: Venkatesan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dasu
authors.forename: Arulselvan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadasivam
authors.forename: Pramod
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Shyam Narayan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Sankar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sambandam
authors.forename: Kalpana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009314:National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. / Q000592:standards; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D016272:Occupational Health; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D052638:Particulate Matter; D012822:Silicon Dioxide