Exposures to Fumigants and Residual Chemicals in Workers Handling Cargo from Shipping Containers and Export Logs in New Zealand
| Autor: | Jeroen Douwes, Bill Glass, Neil Pearce, Dave McLean, Andrea 't Mannetje, Ruth Hinz |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Occupational group
Threshold limit value Chloropicrin Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Formaldehyde 010501 environmental sciences 030210 environmental & occupational health 01 natural sciences Toxicology 03 medical and health sciences chemistry.chemical_compound 0302 clinical medicine chemistry Occupational Exposure Hydrogen phosphide Humans Environmental science Occupational exposure Pesticides Threshold Limit Values Ships New Zealand 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Zdroj: | Annals of Work Exposures and Health. 64:826-837 |
| ISSN: | 2398-7316 2398-7308 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/annweh/wxaa052 |
| Popis: | Objectives Previous studies have reported high concentrations of airborne fumigants and other chemicals inside unopened shipping containers, but it is unclear whether this is reflective of worker exposures. Methods We collected personal 8-h air samples using a whole-air sampling method. Samples were analysed for 1,2-dibromoethane, chloropicrin, ethylene oxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen phosphide, methyl bromide, 1,2-dichloroethane, C2-alkylbenzenes, acetaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, methanol, styrene, and toluene. Additive Mixture Values (AMVs) were calculated using the New Zealand Workplace Exposure standard (WES) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) of the 8-h, time-weighted average exposure limit. Linear regression was conducted to assess associations with work characteristics. Results We included 133 workers handling shipping containers, 15 retail workers unpacking container goods, 40 workers loading fumigated and non-fumigated export logs, and 5 fumigators. A total of 193 personal 8-h air measurements were collected. Exposures were generally low, with >50% below the limit of detection for most chemicals, and none exceeding the NZ WES, although formaldehyde exceeded the TLV in 26.2% of all measurements. The AMV-TLV threshold of 1 was exceeded in 29.0% of the measurements. Levels and detection frequencies of most chemicals varied little between occupational groups, although exposure to methyl bromide was highest in the fumigators (median 43 ppb) without exceeding the TLV of 1000 ppb. Duration spent inside the container was associated with significantly higher levels of ethylene oxide, C2-alkylbenzenes, and acetaldehyde, but levels were well below the TLV/WES. Exposure levels did not differ between workers handling fumigated and non-fumigated containers. Conclusions Personal exposures of workers handling container cargo in New Zealand were mainly below current exposure standards, with formaldehyde the main contributor to overall exposure. However, as it is not clear whether working conditions of participants included in this study were representative of this industry as a whole, and not all relevant exposures were measured, we cannot exclude the possibility that high exposures may occur in some workers. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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