Health benefits of ventilation interventions to reduce fine particulate matter exposure in industrial environments

Abstract

The health benefits (HBs) of implementing ventilation interventions aimed at reducing exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in industrial environments remain unclear. This study employed an existing HB assessment framework that integrates mass balance and concentration–response models to quantify the impact of various ventilation methods on workers' health. A Monte Carlo method was utilized to analyze the uncertainty of the evaluation parameters. The results indicated that PM_2.5 emission intensity, ventilation methods, ventilation rates, and filter types in industrial settings affect human exposure levels and associated health losses. Under natural ventilation conditions, the PM_2.5 concentrations in finishing and casting workshops were significantly higher than the threshold values, leading to worker health losses of 0.0115 and 0.0131 years/(year·person), respectively. Personalized ventilation exhibited superior PM_2.5 exposure control compared with other global mechanical ventilation methods, resulting in lower health losses and greater health benefits. Compare with natural ventilation, personalized ventilation can diminish health losses for workers in finishing and casting workshops by 8.7 %–29.6 % and 0.8 %–8.3 %, respectively. These findings provide insights for effectively implementing ventilation strategies in industrial environments to mitigate health risks for workers.