Bresnitz E A, Roseman J, Becker D, Gracely E
Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
Am J Ind Med. 1992;22(3):363-78. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700220309.
Incinerator workers are exposed to many toxic compounds, most notably heavy metals. We evaluated medical and exposure monitoring data of an actively employed cohort of Philadelphia incinerator workers following an Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry site survey and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) health hazard evaluation (HHE). Of the many airborne samples taken by NIOSH, only four of the personal breathing zone samples were above OSHA or ACGIH standards: one for lead, one for phosphorous, and two for total particulates. Because samples were taken during limited operations (only one of the two incinerators were operating), the results may underestimate historical exposures at this site. We limited our medical analysis to the 86 male workers who participated in the HHE out of the 105 active employees. The 86 employees were divided into potential high and low exposure groups based on a work site analysis done by an independent industrial hygienist. Eight individuals had at least one elevated biological index indicating exposure to a heavy metal. These elevations, however, were unrelated to the workers' exposure categories. Furthermore, no clinically significant mean blood or serum measurements were noted. Thirty-four percent of the workers had evidence of hypertension which increased the risk of significant proteinuria. Neither hypertension nor proteinuria were related to exposure group. Changes in pulmonary function related only to smoking status. Although there was some evidence of an increased risk of exposure to products of incinerator waste, we could not relate the few elevated biological tests to exposure classification. Additional studies are needed to assess the potential health effects of municipal waste incinerator by-products.
垃圾焚烧厂工人会接触到许多有毒化合物，最显著的是重金属。在有毒物质和疾病登记署进行现场调查以及美国国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）开展健康危害评估（HHE）之后，我们评估了一群在职的费城垃圾焚烧厂工人的医疗和接触监测数据。在NIOSH采集的众多空气样本中，只有四个个人呼吸区样本超过了职业安全与健康管理局（OSHA）或美国政府工业卫生学家会议（ACGIH）的标准：一个是铅超标，一个是磷超标，两个是总颗粒物超标。由于样本是在有限作业期间采集的（两座焚烧炉中只有一座在运行），结果可能低估了该场地的历史接触情况。我们将医疗分析局限于105名在职员工中参与HHE的86名男性工人。根据一名独立工业卫生学家进行的工作场所分析，这86名员工被分为潜在的高接触组和低接触组。八个人至少有一项生物指标升高，表明接触了重金属。然而，这些升高与工人的接触类别无关。此外，未发现有临床意义的平均血液或血清测量值。34%的工人有高血压迹象，这增加了出现大量蛋白尿的风险。高血压和蛋白尿均与接触组无关。肺功能变化仅与吸烟状况有关。尽管有一些证据表明接触垃圾焚烧废物产物的风险增加，但我们无法将少数升高的生物检测结果与接触分类联系起来。需要进一步研究来评估城市垃圾焚烧副产品的潜在健康影响。
