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Exposure of bakery and pastry apprentices to airborne flour dust using PM2.5 and PM10personal samplers

2007; BioMed Central; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1186/1471-2458-7-311

1471-2458

Estelle Mounier-Geyssant, Jean-François Barthélemy, Lory Mouchot, Christophe Paris, Denis Zmirou‐Navier,

Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure

Abstract Background This study describes exposure levels of bakery and pastry apprentices to flour dust, a known risk factor of occupational asthma. Methods Questionnaires on work activity were completed by 286 students. Among them, 34 performed a series of two personal exposure measurements using a PM 2.5 and PM 10 personal sampler during a complete work shift, one during a cold ("winter") period, and the other during a hot ("summer") period. Results Bakery apprentices experience greater average PM 2.5 and PM 10 exposures than pastry apprentices (p < 0.006). Exposure values for both particulate fractions are greater in winter (average PM 10 values among bakers = 1.10 mg.m -3 [standard deviation: 0.83]) than in summer (0.63 mg.m -3 [0.36]). While complying with current European occupational limit values, these exposures exceed the ACGIH recommendations set to prevent sensitization to flour dust (0.5 mg.m -3 ). Over half the facilities had no ventilation system. Conclusion Young bakery apprentices incur substantial exposure to known airways allergens, a situation that might elicit early induction of airways inflammation.