IngentaConnect Variability in Quartz Exposure in the Construction Industry: Impl...

Authors: Evelyn Tjoe Nij¹; Doris Höhr²; Paul Borm²; Igor Burstyn¹; Judith Spierings¹; Friso Steffens¹; Mieke Lumens¹; Ton Spee³; Dick Heederik¹

Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, Volume 1, Number 3, March 2004 , pp. 191-198(8)

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

Abstract:

The aims of this study were to determine implications of inter- and intraindividual variation in exposure to respirable (quartz) dust and of heterogeneity in dust characteristics for epidemiologic research in construction workers. Full-shift personal measurements (n = 67) from 34 construction workers were collected. The between-worker and day-to-day variances of quartz and respirable dust exposure were estimated using mixed models. Heterogeneity in dust characteristics was evaluated by electron microscopic analysis and electron spin resonance. A grouping strategy based on job title resulted in a 2- and 3.5-fold reduction in expected attenuation of a hypothetical exposure-response relation for respirable dust and quartz exposure, respectively, compared to an individual based approach. Material worked on explained most of the between-worker variance in respirable dust and quartz exposure. However, for risk assessment in epidemiology, grouping workers based on the materials they work on is not practical. Microscopic characterization of dust samples showed large quantities of aluminum silicates and large quantities of smaller particles, resulting in a D₅₀ between 1 and 2

m. For risk analysis, job title can be used to create exposure groups, although error is introduced by the heterogeneity of dust produced by different construction workers activities and by the nonuniformity of exposure groups. A grouping scheme based on materials worked on would be superior, for both exposure and risk assessment, but is not practical when assessing past exposure. In dust from construction sites, factors are present that are capable of influencing the toxicological potency.

Keywords: construction workers; dust characteristics; pneumoconiosis; respirable dust; quartz

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/15459620490424528

Affiliations: 1: Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands 2: Department of Particle Toxicology, Institute for Environmental Research, Düsseldorf, Germany 3: Arbouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Variability in Quartz Exposure in the Construction Industry: Implications for Assessing Exposure-Response Relations