title: Assessment of dust exposure in a steel plant in the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Steel manufacturing produces dust, fumes, and pollutant gases that may give adverse health effects to the respiratory function of workers. Improper occupational hygiene practice in the workplace will affect both workers wellbeing and productivity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the level of particulate matter [(PM2.5, PM10, and Total Particulate Matter (TPM)], and trace metal dust concentrations in different sections of a steel plant and compare with the occupational exposure values.
  
  
  METHODS
  The work environmental parameters of the particulate matters were evaluated using Indoor Air Quality, while metal dust concentrations were measured using portable personal air sampler. A total of 184 personal samples were randomly collected from workers in three major sections; steel making plant, direct reduced plant, and support group. Trace metal dust concentrations were subjected to wet mineral acid mixture digestion and analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall average PM2.5 concentration observed was varied according to the section: steel making plant was 0.18 mg/m3, direct reduced iron plant was 0.05 mg/m3, and support plant was 0.05 mg/m3. Average PM 10 concentration in steel making shop (SMS) plant, direct reduced (DR) plant, and support plant were 0.70 mg/m3, 0.84 mg/m3, and 0.58 mg/m3, respectively. The average TWA8 of trace metal dusts (cobalt and chromium) in all the sections exceeded 1 to 3 times the ACGIH prescribed values, OSHA PELs, NIOSH RELs as well as USECHH OSHA, whereas TWA8 concentration of nickel for each section did not exceed the occupational exposure values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The average PM2.5, PM10 and TPM did not exceed the prescribed values, while average trace metal dust concentration TWA8 for cobalt and chromium in all plants exceeded occupational exposure prescribed values. However, the nickel found did not exceed the prescribed values in all the plants except for NIOSH RELs.
authors: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.|Environmental and Occupational Health Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors: Ainun Hamzah
authors: AH
authors: Nurul
authors: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors: Bahri Mohd Tamrin
authors: BM
authors: Shamsul
authors: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Ismail
authors: I
authors: Noor Hassim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000592:standards; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D013232:Steel
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust; D052638:Particulate Matter; D013232:Steel
keywords: Particulate matter; personal air sampling; steel plant; trace metal dust