Table 1.
Exposure levels of inhalable dust and endotoxin among recycling workers.
| Persons | Samples | Inhalable dust mg/m³ | Endotoxin EUa/m³ | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | K | N | AMa | >OELa (%) | GMa | GSDa | BWa | WWa | AMa | >OELa (%) | GMa | GSDa | BWa | WWa |
| Production workers | 88 | 149 | 1.3 | 9 (6) | 0.6 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 34.6 | 12 (8) | 10.7 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| Work taskb | ||||||||||||||
| Sorting | 46 | 78 | 1.3 | 4 (5) | 0.6 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 46.7 | 9 (12) | 11.7 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 2.7 |
| Machine operation | 19 | 28 | 1.2 | 3 (11) | 0.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 17.6 | 1 (4) | 8.6 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Driving | 25 | 36 | 0.95 | 1 (3) | 0.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 22.9 | 1 (3) | 11.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Cleaning and maintenance | 5 | 7 | 4.1 | 1 (14) | 1.5 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 34.9 | 1 (14) | 12.7 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Waste fractionb | ||||||||||||||
| Paper or cardboard | 17 | 28 | 2.1 | 3 (11) | 1.4 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 98.5 | 9 (32) | 44.3 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
| Metal | 15 | 21 | 2.9 | 4 (19) | 1.1 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 31.3 | 2 (10) | 13.2 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| Plastic | 11 | 17 | 1.0 | 1 (6) | 0.4 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 7.2 | 0 (0) | 4.2 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Biowaste | 6 | 10 | 0.4 | 0 (0) | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 26.9 | 0 (0) | 16.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 |
| Electronics and hazardousc | 14 | 27 | 0.7 | 0 (0) | 0.4 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 4.5 | 0 (0) | 3.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Metal/plastic/glass | 13 | 22 | 0.4 | 0 (0) | 0.2 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 38.4 | 1 (5) | 12.4 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.7 |
| Mixedd | 16 | 24 | 1.1 | 1 (4) | 0.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 20.7 | 0 (0) | 9.4 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| Temperature | ||||||||||||||
| <10 ºC e | 23 | 23 | 1.0 | 1 (4) | 0.5 | 3.2 | – | – | 29.4 | 0 (0) | 20.8 | 2.3 | - | - |
| 10 to 20 ºC | 83 | 111 | 1.3 | 8 (7) | 0.5 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 33.6 | 11 (10) | 9.3 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
| >20 ºC e | 15 | 15 | 0.8 | 0 (0) | 0.6 | 2.0 | – | – | 45.2 | 1 (7) | 6.2 | 4.5 | - | - |
| Location and ventilationb | ||||||||||||||
| Room/vehicle ventilation (indoor) | 55 | 86 | 1.7 | 8 (9) | 0.7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 48.7 | 11 (13) | 12.2 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 2.6 |
| No room/vehicle ventilation (indoor) | 22 | 30 | 0.9 | 1 (3) | 0.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 19.4 | 1 (3) | 9.9 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Outdoor | 22 | 33 | 0.6 | 0 (0) | 0.4 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 10.9 | 0 (0) | 6.4 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Company sizef | ||||||||||||||
| <50 | 29 | 48 | 0.9 | 1 (2) | 0.4 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 17.1 | 2 (4) | 7.2 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| 50 to 99 | 34 | 58 | 1.6 | 4 (7) | 0.6 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 20.2 | 2 (3) | 7.9 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| >99 | 25 | 43 | 1.5 | 4 (9) | 0.7 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 78.5 | 8 (19) | 24.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| Administrative workers | 14 | 21 | 0.1 | 0 (0) | 0.0 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0 (0) | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 2.1 |
aEndotoxin unit (EU), arithmetic mean (AM), occupational exposure limit (OEL), geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD), between worker (BW) ands within worker (WW).
bPrimary. For repeated measurements, a person can appear in 2 categories.
cClassified as hazardous waste, e.g. light bulbs, paint, and spray cans.
dMore than 1 fraction of waste fraction, including working at a recycling station.
eNo repeated measurements, therefore only a geometric standard deviation.
fNumber of employees.