| 1. |
- Jiang, Zheshun, et al.
(författare)
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Hexavalent chromium still a concern in Sweden : Evidence from a cross-sectional study within the SafeChrom project
- 2024
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Ingår i: International journal of hygiene and environmental health (Print). - : Elsevier. - 1438-4639 .- 1618-131X. ; 256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesHexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is classified as a human carcinogen. Occupational Cr(VI) exposure can occur during different work processes, but the current exposure to Cr(VI) at Swedish workplaces is unknown.MethodsThis cross-sectional study (SafeChrom) recruited non-smoking men and women from 14 companies with potential Cr(VI) exposure (n = 113) and controls from 6 companies without Cr(VI) exposure (n = 72). Inhalable Cr(VI) was measured by personal air sampling (outside of respiratory protection) in exposed workers. Total Cr was measured in urine (pre- and post-shift, density-adjusted) and red blood cells (RBC) (reflecting Cr(VI)) in exposed workers and controls. The Bayesian tool Expostats was used to assess risk and evaluate occupational exposure limit (OEL) compliance.ResultsThe exposed workers performed processing of metal products, steel production, welding, plating, and various chemical processes. The geometric mean concentration of inhalable Cr(VI) in exposed workers was 0.15 μg/m3 (95% confidence interval: 0.11–0.21). Eight of the 113 exposed workers (7%) exceeded the Swedish OEL of 5 μg/m3, and the Bayesian analysis estimated the share of OEL exceedances up to 19.6% for stainless steel welders. Median post-shift urinary (0.60 μg/L, 5th-95th percentile 0.10–3.20) and RBC concentrations (0.73 μg/L, 0.51–2.33) of Cr were significantly higher in the exposed group compared with the controls (urinary 0.10 μg/L, 0.06–0.56 and RBC 0.53 μg/L, 0.42–0.72). Inhalable Cr(VI) correlated with urinary Cr (rS = 0.64) and RBC-Cr (rS = 0.53). Workers within steel production showed the highest concentrations of inhalable, urinary and RBC Cr. Workers with inferred non-acceptable local exhaustion ventilation showed significantly higher inhalable Cr(VI), urinary and RBC Cr concentrations compared with those with inferred acceptable ventilation. Furthermore, workers with inferred correct use of respiratory protection were exposed to significantly higher concentrations of Cr(VI) in air and had higher levels of Cr in urine and RBC than those assessed with incorrect or no use. Based on the Swedish job-exposure-matrix, approximately 17 900 workers were estimated to be occupationally exposed to Cr(VI) today.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that some workers in Sweden are exposed to high levels of the non-threshold carcinogen Cr(VI). Employers and workers seem aware of Cr(VI) exposure, but more efficient exposure control strategies are required. National strategies aligned with the European strategies are needed in order to eliminate this cause of occupational cancer.
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| 2. |
- Molnár, Peter, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Vedeldningens bidrag till luftföroreningar i Toltorpsdalen, Mölndal
- 2023
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Mätningar av fina partiklar, PM2.5, har genomförts i Toltorpsdalen, norra Mölndal under 10 veckor vintern 2022–2023. 22 ODIN-sensorer placerades ur i ett rutnät med avstånd 100–300 m. Ett referensmätningsinstrument, Palas FIDAS 200, placerades i en mätbod, centralt i området. Partikelmätarna hade en tidsupplösning på 1 minut. Även benso(a)pyren, (B(a)P) organiskt kol (OC) (tidsupplösning 2–3 dagar) och bensen (passiv provtagning) mättes. Halterna av PM2.5 var generellt låga pga. den milda och regniga vintern, medelvärde 4–7 µg/m3, men vi identifierade vedeldningens påverkan då den inte samvarierar med trafik eller andra källor. Störst bidrag från vedeldning under eftermiddag-kväll då halterna i snitt ökade 1–2 µg/m3. Även helgdagar gav ett ökat bidrag. Halterna av B(a)P var låga (0,01–0,11 ng/m3) och nådde som mest 10 % av miljökvalitetsnormen, även OC var lågt under perioden. Halterna av bensen var också låga, men något högre längs Toltorpsgatan, där trafiken är högst inom mätområdet. Mätningarna av PM2.5 och bensen visade att den lokala trafikens påverkan var låg, fr.a. pga. den milda fuktiga vintern som inte genererar vägdamm.Enkätdata visade att ca 50 % av bostäderna har en eldstad, de flesta för trivseleldning, och ca 80 % av eldningen sker eftermiddag-kväll, vilket setts i tidigare studier. Störningsenkäten visar på viss störning från vedeldning, men buller och avgaser från vägtrafik är en större störkälla. Dock var icke-eldarna något mer störda än de med egen eldning.
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| 3. |
- Storsjö, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Elemental carbon - An efficient method to measure occupational exposure from materials in the graphene family
- 2024
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Ingår i: NanoImpact. - 2452-0748. ; 33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene is a 2D-material with many useful properties such as flexibility, elasticity, and conductivity among others. Graphene could therefore become a material used in many occupational fields in the future, which can give rise to occupational exposure. Today, exposure is unknown, due to the lack of efficient measuring techniques for occupational exposure to graphene. Readily available screening techniques for air sampling and -analysis are either nonspecific or nonquantitative. Quantifying materials from the broad graphene family by an easy-to-use method is important for the large-scale industrial application of graphene, especially when for the safety of working environment. Graphene consists primarily of elemental carbon, and the present study evaluates the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC)-technique for exposure assessment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the OC/EC analysis technique as an efficient and easy-to-use method for quantification of occupational exposure to graphene. Methods that can identify graphene would be preferable for screening, but they are time consuming and semi-quantitative and therefore not suited for quantitative work environment assessments. The OC/EC-technique is a thermal optical analysis (TOA), that quantitively determines the amount of and distinguishes between two different types of carbon, organic and elemental. The technique is standardised, well-established and among other things used for diesel exposure measurements (ref standard). OC/EC could therefore be a feasible measuring technique to quantitively determine occupational exposure to graphene. The present evaluation of the technique provides an analytical method that works quantitatively for graphene, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide. Interestingly, the TOA technique makes it possible to distinguish between the three graphene forms used in this study. The technique was tested in an industrial setting and the outcome suggests that the technique is an efficient monitoring technique to be used in combination with characterisation techniques like for example Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.
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