Particle size distribution in aluminum manufacturing facilities

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cullen MR ; Dixon-Ernst C ; Eisen EA ; Hammond SK ; Liu S ; Noth EM
• Description:
  As part of exposure assessment for an ongoing epidemiologic study of heart disease and fine particle exposures in aluminum industry, area particle samples were collected in production facilities to assess instrument reliability and particle size distribution at different process areas. Personal modular impactors (PMI) and Minimicro-orifice uniform deposition impactors (MiniMOUDI) were used. The coefficient of variation (CV) of co-located samples was used to evaluate the reproducibility of the samplers. PM(2.5) measured by PMI was compared to PM(2.5) calculated from MiniMOUDI data. Mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and concentrations of sub-micrometer [PM(1.0)] and quasi-ultrafine [PM(0.56)] particles were evaluated to characterize particle size distribution. Most of CVs were less than 30%. The slope of the linear regression of PMI_PM(2.5) versus MiniMOUDI_PM(2.5) was 1.03 mg/m3 per mg/m3 ( +/- 0.05), with correlation coefficient of 0.97 (+/- 0.01). Particle size distribution varied substantively in smelters, whereas it was less variable in fabrication units with significantly smaller MMADs (arithmetic mean of MMADs: 2.59 micom in smelters vs. 1.31 micom in fabrication units, p = 0.001). Although the total particle concentration was more than two times higher in the smelters than in the fabrication units, the fraction of PM(10) which was PM(1.0) or PM(0.56) was significantly lower in the smelters than in the fabrication units (p < 0.001). Consequently, the concentrations of sub-micrometer and quasi-ultrafine particles were similar in these two types of facilities. It would appear, studies evaluating ultrafine particle exposure in aluminum industry should focus on not only the smelters, but also the fabrication facilities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Compounds Epidemiology Metals Metal Workers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Aluminum Aluminum Industry Author Keywords: Particle Size Distribution Exposure Assessment Fabrication Occupational Exposure Particle Size Particulates Particulate Sampling Methods Smelter Smelting

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• ISSN:
  1927-0909
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  79-88
• Volume:
  3
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046914
• Citation:
  Environ Pollut 2014 Oct; 3(4):79-88
• Contact Point Address:
  Sa Liu, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 50 University Hall, #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA
• Email:
  saliu@berkeley.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Performing Organization:
  Stanford University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  Environment and Pollution
• End Date:
  20200831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:da3f62deaeeaf2c553fa57c0bdf9d056a2626237a693dc00222c6d498c74e4144470d3beb324a046bffe01ec4752690d0fcbdd5584774cc90a33a46164cff283
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202179/cdc_202179_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 266.59 KB ]