Development of a Fibre Size-Specific Job-Exposure Matrix for Airborne Asbestos Fibres

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dement, John M. ; Kuempel, Eileen D. ; Loomis D ; Smith RJ ; Stayner, Leslie T. ; Zumwalde, Ralph D.
• Description:
  Objectives: To develop a method for estimating fiber size-specific exposures to airborne asbestos dust for use in epidemiologic investigations of exposure-response relations. Methods: Archived membrane filter samples collected at a Charleston, SC asbestos textile plant during 1964-1968 were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the bivariate diameter/length distribution of airborne fibers by plant operation. The protocol used for these analyses was based on the direct transfer method published by the International Standards Organization (ISO), modified to enhance fiber size determinations, especially for long fibers. Procedures to adjust standard PCM fiber concentration measures using the TEM data in a job-exposure matrix (JEM) were developed in order to estimate fiber size-specific exposures. Results: A total of 84 airborne dust samples were used to measure diameter and length for over 18,000 fibers or fiber bundles. Consistent with prior studies, a small proportion of airborne fibers were longer than >5 µm in length, but the proportion varied considerably by plant operation (range 6.9% to 20.8%). The bivariate diameter/length distribution of airborne fibers was expressed as the proportion of fibers in 20 size-specific cells and this distribution demonstrated a relatively high degree of variability by plant operation. PCM adjustment factors also varied substantially across plant operations. Conclusions: These data provide new information concerning the airborne fiber characteristics for a textile operation used for previous exposure-response analyses. The TEM data demonstrate that the vast majority of airborne fibers inhaled by these workers were shorter than 5 µm in length, and not included in current PCM fiber counts. A new fiber size-specific JEM was developed for use in fiber size-specific risk assessments. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Epidemiology Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Neoplasms Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos Fibers Asbestos Workers Biological Monitoring Exposure Assessment Fiber Deposition Fibrous Bodies Lung Cancer Lung Cells Lung Disease Lung Disorders Lung Fibrosis Lung Function Lung Irritants Mathematical Models Physiological Measurements Respiratory System Disorders Statistical Analysis Work Areas Work Environment Worker Health Workplace Studies

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• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Nevada ; North Carolina ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033291
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2008 Sep; 65(9):605-612
• Contact Point Address:
  Professor John M Dement, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 2200 W Main Street, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27705, USA
• Email:
  John.Dement@Duke.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  All Sectors ; Manufacturing ; Mining
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030930
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20110131
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:680537ee46b10a049b26c1647e8a142b41def3d20f9e19994e717db9d7b0a465cc6a74815ba9f38419b84feced221bfcb2565d5785437b22306b1172026217e2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188933/cdc_188933_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 265.53 KB ]