PREVENTION AND CONTROL EXCHANGE PACE HAZARD PREVENTION AND CONTROL IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT: AIRBORNE DUST Occupational and Environmental Health Department of Protection of the Human Environment World Health Organization Geneva August 1999 Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust WHO, Geneva - WHO/SDE/OEH/99.14 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1 PREFACE.................................................................................................................................... 12 Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 1 - Dust: Definitions and Concepts.............................................................................. 19 1.1 Dust as an occupational hazard ........................................................................................ 19 1.2 Penetration and deposition of particles in the human respiratory tract.......................... 21 1.3 Clearance of particles from the respiratory tract.............................................................. 23 1.3.1 Mucociliary clearance ................................................................................................ 23 1.3.2 Bronchiole movement................................................................................................ 24 1.3.3 Phagocytosis............................................................................................................... 24 1.4 Risk to health..................................................................................................................... 24 1.5 Particle size fractions: conventions for dust sampling .................................................... 25 1.6 Mechanisms of dust generation and release .................................................................... 25 1.6.1 Mechanical breakdown .............................................................................................. 26 1.6.2 Dust dispersal............................................................................................................. 26 1.6.3 Dustiness indices........................................................................................................ 28 Chapter 2 - Recognizing the problem: exposure and disease.................................................. 32 2.1 Dust exposures.................................................................................................................. 32 2.1.1 Dusty occupations...................................................................................................... 32 2.1.2 Dusty processes.......................................................................................................... 33 2.1.3 Particular hazards ....................................................................................................... 34 2.1.4 Examples of exposure................................................................................................ 35 2.2 Problems caused by dusts................................................................................................. 36 2.2.1 Routes of exposure .................................................................................................... 36 2.2.2 Potential health effects by inhalation..................................................................... 37 2.2.3 Pneumoconioses ........................................................................................................ 38 2.2.4 Cancer......................................................................................................................... 40 2.2.5 Ischaemic heart disease.............................................................................................. 40 2.2.6 Systemic poisoning.................................................................................................... 41 2.2.7 Hard metal disease ..................................................................................................... 41 2.2.8 Irritation and inflammatory lung injuries.................................................................. 41 2.2.9 Allergic responses ...................................................................................................... 42 2.2.10 Infection (biological hazards).................................................................................. 43 2.2.11 Other Sources of Information Concerning Health Effects .................................... 44 2.3 Examples of prevalence of dust-related diseases ........................................................... 44 2.4 Safety and other issues...................................................................................................... 46 2.4.1 Fire and explosion hazards........................................................................................ 46 2.4.2. Other issues ............................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 3 - Dust Control and Good Management .................................................................... 53 3.1 General considerations...................................................................................................... 53 3.2 Establishment of hazard prevention and control programmes....................................... 55 3.3 Required resources............................................................................................................ 56 i Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust WHO Geneva 1999 W HO/SDE/OEH/99.14 PREVENTION AND CONTROL EXCHANGE PACE Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment AIRBORNE DUST Executive Summary Preface Acknowledgements Page Chapter 1 - Dust: Definitions and Concepts .......................................................................................1 1.1 Dust as an occupational hazard .................................................................................................1 1.2 Penetration and deposition of particles in the human respiratory tract...................................4 1.3 Clearance of particles from the respiratory tract ......................................................................6 1.3.1 Mucociliary clearance.........................................................................................................6 1.3.2 Bronchiole movement.........................................................................................................7 1.3.3 Phagocytosis........................................................................................................................7 1.4 Risk to health..............................................................................................................................7 1.5 Particle size fractions: conventions for dust sampling.............................................................8 1.6 Mechanisms of dust generation and release .............................................................................8 1.6.1 Mechanical breakdown.......................................................................................................9 1.6.2 Dust dispersal......................................................................................................................9 1.6.3 Dustiness indices...............................................................................................................12 Chapter 2 - Recognizing the Problem: Exposure and Disease .......................................................16 i Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust WHO Geneva 1999 W HO/SDE/OEH/99.14 2.1 Dust exposures .........................................................................................................................16 2.1.1 Dusty occupations.............................................................................................................17 2.1.2 Dusty processes.................................................................................................................17 2.1.3 Particular hazards..............................................................................................................18 2.1.4 Examples of Exposure......................................................................................................19 2.2.Problems caused by dusts........................................................................................................20 2.2.1 Routes of exposure............................................................................................................20 2.2.2 Potential health effects by inhalation............................................................................21 2.2.3 Pneumoconioses................................................................................................................22 2.2.4 Cancer ................................................................................................................................25 2.2.5 Ischaemic heart disease.....................................................................................................25 2.2.6 Systemic poisoning...........................................................................................................25 2.2.7 Hard metal disease ............................................................................................................26 2.2.8 Irritation