Occupational exposure in the fluorescent lamp recycling sector in France.
The fluorescent lamp recycling sector is growing considerably in Europe due to increasingly strict regulations aimed at inciting the consumption of low energy light bulbs and their end-of-life management. Chemical risks were assessed in fluorescent lamp recycling facilities by field measurement surveys in France, highlighting that occupational exposure and pollutant levels in the working environment were correlated with the main recycling steps and processes. The mean levels of worker exposure are 4.4 mg/m(3), 15.4 μg/m(3), 14.0 μg/m(3), 247.6 μg/m(3), respectively, for total inhalable dust, mercury, lead and yttrium. The mean levels of airborne pollutants are 3.1mg/m(3), 9.0 μg/m(3), 9.0 μg/m(3), 219.2 μg/m(3), respectively, for total inhalable dust, mercury, lead and yttrium. The ranges are very wide. Surface samples from employees' skin and granulometric analysis were also carried out. The overview shows that all the stages and processes involved in lamp recycling are concerned by the risk of hazardous substances penetrating into the bodies of employees, although exposure of the latter varies depending on the processes and tasks they perform. The conclusion of this study strongly recommends the development of a new generation of processes in parallel with more information sharing and regulatory measures.
Department of Process Engineering, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France. Electronic address: francois.zimmermann@inrs.fr.
François
F
Zimmermann
Department of Process Engineering, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
Marie-Thérèse
MT
Lecler
Department of Process Engineering, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
Frédéric
F
Clerc
Department of Process Engineering, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
Alain
A
Chollot
Department of Process Engineering, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
Eric
E
Silvente
Department of Process Engineering, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
Jérome
J
Grosjean
D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005602:France; D006794:Household Articles; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D059027:Recycling
D004391:Dust; D004785:Environmental Pollutants
Ambient concentration; Lamp recycling; Occupational exposure; WEEE