P-199 EXPOSURE TO WOOD DUST AND ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS DURING WOOD PROCESSING WORK

Abstract Introduction Exposure to wood dust is associated with an increased risk of lung, nose, and sinus cancer as well as other respiratory diseases. Particle size distribution of dust particles can provide information about health risks regardless of weight and investigate what impact air recircu...

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Published in:Occupational medicine (Oxford) 2024-07, Vol.74 (Supplement_1)
Main Authors: Pedersen, Ine, Ervik, Torunn K, Zardin, Erika, Afanou, Anani K, Foss, Oda A H, Skaugset, Nils Petter, Straumfors, Anne
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Abstract Introduction Exposure to wood dust is associated with an increased risk of lung, nose, and sinus cancer as well as other respiratory diseases. Particle size distribution of dust particles can provide information about health risks regardless of weight and investigate what impact air recirculation has on exposure. The content of components in wood dust, such as resin acids, monoterpenes, aldehydes, along with others is not constant, nor is it always related to the dust mass. Increased knowledge could improve assessing air circulation in relation to components and their health risk. Methods Full-shift personal aerosol sampling at 23 companies and long-term stationary sampling at 3 companies were performed (2019-2023). Personal samples were analyzed for wood dust mass, endotoxin, resin acid, monoterpenes, along with others. Size distribution were characterized in the stationary samples. Collected dust were tested in cell models. Results, discussion and conclusion A moderate exposure to soft wood dust were measured, with a median exposure below the Norwegian occupational exposure limit of 2 mg/m3 total dust for all companies, except for one. No statistically significant differences in dust exposure were observed between companies with and without air recirculation. The exposure to wood dust from a mixture of hard and soft wood types was higher than the exposure from soft wood, the 75-percentile exceeding the occupational exposure limit for hard wood and mixtures of hard and soft wood of 1 mg/m3 inhalable dust. Stationary samples showed that the ventilation systems efficiently removed the small particles. Analyses of associated components and inflammatory potential are ongoing, and results will be presented at the conference.
ISSN:0962-7480
1471-8405
DOI:10.1093/occmed/kqae023.0741