Meteorological conditions hardly influence measurement strategy and measured respirable dust and quartz concentrations in the industrial minerals sector.
IF 2.1 4区 医学Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Nicola Blagrove-Hall, Remko Houba, Alonso Bussalleu, Hans Kromhout
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Respirable dust and quartz are important occupational hazards, yet the effects of meteorological conditions on these concentrations remain poorly understood and predominantly theoretical.
Objective: Using respirable dust and quartz data from the Industrial Minerals Association Europe Dust Monitoring Programme (IMA-DMP) and outdoor meteorological data from the ERA5-LAND hourly land data, we aimed first to determine whether meteorological conditions had an impact on the sampling strategy for these exposures and, second, to describe the association between outdoor meteorological conditions and respirable dust and quartz concentrations.
Methods: We linked the exposure data for 153 sites across Europe and outdoor meteorological data by date and IMA site location. We used descriptive statistics to compare the meteorological conditions (temperature, precipitation, and wind speed) on measurement and non-measurement days. A linear mixed-effects model was used to investigate the relationship between meteorological variables and respirable dust and quartz concentrations. The model includes adjustments for period-specific time trends, minerals produced, job site, and job function.
Results: Meteorological conditions on measurement and non-measurement days were similar. We estimate a 2.3% and 5.9% increase in dust and quartz concentrations for every 10 °C increase in temperature. A 10-fold increase in precipitation is estimated to reduce dust and quartz concentrations by -2.6% and -3.1%, respectively. A 10-fold increase in wind speed is estimated to reduce quartz concentrations by -9.0%, and this association was not statistically significant for dust. Temperature had the strongest effect on personal concentrations, followed by wind speed. Associations were generally stronger for respirable quartz than respirable dust.
Conclusions: Within the IMA-DMP, meteorological conditions did not affect the measurement strategy for dust and quartz and had a small effect on concentrations measured at 153 sites across Europe. Thus, non-random, biased sampling schemes would result in a slight (<10%) overestimation or underestimation of long-term respirable dust and quartz concentration depending on the meteorological conditions, justifying the collection of meteorological data during sampling.
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About the Journal
Annals of Work Exposures and Health is dedicated to presenting advances in exposure science supporting the recognition, quantification, and control of exposures at work, and epidemiological studies on their effects on human health and well-being. A key question we apply to submission is, "Is this paper going to help readers better understand, quantify, and control conditions at work that adversely or positively affect health and well-being?"
We are interested in high quality scientific research addressing:
the quantification of work exposures, including chemical, biological, physical, biomechanical, and psychosocial, and the elements of work organization giving rise to such exposures;
the relationship between these exposures and the acute and chronic health consequences for those exposed and their families and communities;
populations at special risk of work-related exposures including women, under-represented minorities, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups such as temporary, contingent and informal sector workers;
the effectiveness of interventions addressing exposure and risk including production technologies, work process engineering, and personal protective systems;
policies and management approaches to reduce risk and improve health and well-being among workers, their families or communities;
methodologies and mechanisms that underlie the quantification and/or control of exposure and risk.
There is heavy pressure on space in the journal, and the above interests mean that we do not usually publish papers that simply report local conditions without generalizable results. We are also unlikely to publish reports on human health and well-being without information on the work exposure characteristics giving rise to the effects. We particularly welcome contributions from scientists based in, or addressing conditions in, developing economies that fall within the above scope.
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