Pipinić Ivana Sabolić, Varnai Veda Marija, Lucić Ruzica Beljo, Cavlović Ankica, Prester Ljerka, Orct Tatjana, Macan Jelena
Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2010 Jun;61(2):161-6. doi: 10.2478/10004-1254-61-2010-1996.
Wood processing is usually performed in environments with large amounts of endotoxin-rich bioaerosols that are associated with a variety of health effects. The aim of this preliminary study was to assess the relation between endotoxin levels in settled and airborne dust in wood-processing industry. Ten pairs of airborne and settled dust samples were collected in a sawmill and parquet manufacture of two wood-processing plants in Croatia. Endotoxin was assayed with a chromogenic end-point LAL (Limulus amebocyte lysate) method. The results showed that endotoxin levels in airborne respirable dust were above the proposed occupational exposure limit of 125 EU m(-3) and could be considered hazardous for the respiratory system. In settled dust they ranged between 229.7 EU mg(-1) and 604.3 EU mg(-1) and in airborne dust between 166.8 EU mg(-1) and 671.6 EU m(-3), but there was no significant correlation between them (Spearman's rho=0.358, P=0.310). This study points to sawmill settled dust as endotoxin reservoir and suggests that it may add to already high exposure to airborne endotoxins associated with wood processing. Investigations of the relation between settled and airborne endotoxin levels should be continued to better understand the sources and sites of endotoxin contamination in wood-processing industry.
木材加工通常在含有大量富含内毒素的生物气溶胶的环境中进行，这些生物气溶胶会对健康产生多种影响。这项初步研究的目的是评估木材加工行业中沉降灰尘和空气中灰尘内毒素水平之间的关系。在克罗地亚的两家木材加工厂的锯木厂和镶木地板生产车间收集了10对空气和沉降灰尘样本。采用显色终点LAL（鲎试剂）法测定内毒素。结果表明，空气中可吸入灰尘中的内毒素水平高于建议的职业接触限值125 EU m(-3)，可被认为对呼吸系统有害。沉降灰尘中的内毒素水平在229.7 EU mg(-1)至604.3 EU mg(-1)之间，空气中灰尘中的内毒素水平在166.8 EU mg(-1)至671.6 EU m(-3)之间，但两者之间没有显著相关性（Spearman秩相关系数=0.358，P=0.310）。这项研究指出锯木厂沉降灰尘是内毒素的储存库，并表明它可能会增加与木材加工相关的空气中内毒素的高暴露水平。应继续研究沉降灰尘和空气中内毒素水平之间的关系，以更好地了解木材加工行业内毒素污染的来源和地点。
