title: Characterizing Dust from Cutting Corian®, a Solid-Surface Composite Material, in a Laboratory Testing System.
abstract: We conducted a laboratory test to characterize dust from cutting Corian(®), a solid-surface composite material, with a circular saw. Air samples were collected using filters and direct-reading instruments in an automatic laboratory testing system. The average mass concentrations of the total and respirable dusts from the filter samples were 4.78±0.01 and 1.52±0.01mg cm(-3), respectively, suggesting about 31.8% mass of the airborne dust from cutting Corian(®) is respirable. Analysis of the metal elements on the filter samples reveals that aluminum hydroxide is likely the dominant component of the airborne dust from cutting Corian(®), with the total airborne and respirable dusts containing 86.0±6.6 and 82.2±4.1% aluminum hydroxide, respectively. The results from the direct-reading instruments confirm that the airborne dust generated from cutting Corian(®) were mainly from the cutting process with very few particles released from the running circular saw alone. The number-based size distribution of the dusts from cutting Corian(®) had a peak for fine particles at 1.05 µm with an average total concentration of 871.9 particles cm(-3), and another peak for ultrafine particles at 11.8nm with an average total concentration of 1.19×10(6) particles cm(-3) The small size and high concentration of the ultrafine particles suggest additional investigation is needed to study their chemical composition and possible contribution to pulmonary effect.
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Research and Technology, Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS: R5, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA hif1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Chaolong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Research and Technology, Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS: R5, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Echt
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Research and Technology, Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS: R5, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA.
authors.forename: Taichi K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Murata
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D003252:Construction Materials; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust
keywords: Corian®; aluminum hydroxide; dust; pulmonary fibrosis; solid-surface composite