Kendzia Benjamin, Pesch Beate, Koppisch Dorothea, Van Gelder Rainer, Pitzke Katrin, Zschiesche Wolfgang, Behrens Thomas, Weiss Tobias, Siemiatycki Jack, Lavoué Jerome, Jöckel Karl-Heinz, Stamm Roger, Brüning Thomas
Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA), Sankt Augustin, Germany.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2017 Jul;27(4):427-433. doi: 10.1038/jes.2016.80. Epub 2017 Jan 18.
The aim of this study was to estimate average occupational exposure to inhalable nickel (Ni) using the German exposure database MEGA. This database contains 8052 personal measurements of Ni collected between 1990 and 2009 in adjunct with information on the measurement and workplace conditions. The median of all Ni concentrations was 9 μg/m and the 95th percentile was 460 μg/m. We predicted geometric means (GMs) for welders and other occupations centered to 1999. Exposure to Ni in welders is strongly influenced by the welding process applied and the Ni content of the used welding materials. Welding with consumable electrodes of high Ni content (>30%) was associated with 10-fold higher concentrations compared with those with a low content (<5%). The highest exposure levels (GMs ≥20 μg/m) were observed in gas metal and shielded metal arc welders using welding materials with high Ni content, in metal sprayers, grinders and forging-press operators, and in the manufacture of batteries and accumulators. The exposure profiles are useful for exposure assessment in epidemiologic studies as well as in industrial hygiene. Therefore, we recommend to collect additional exposure-specific information in addition to the job title in community-based studies when estimating the health risks of Ni exposure.
本研究的目的是利用德国暴露数据库MEGA估算可吸入镍（Ni）的平均职业暴露水平。该数据库包含1990年至2009年间收集的8052份镍的个人测量数据以及测量和工作场所条件的相关信息。所有镍浓度的中位数为9μg/m，第95百分位数为460μg/m。我们预测了以1999年为中心的焊工及其他职业的几何均值（GMs）。焊工接触镍的情况受到所应用的焊接工艺和所用焊接材料中镍含量的强烈影响。使用高镍含量（>30%）的消耗性电极进行焊接时的浓度比使用低镍含量（<5%）的电极高出10倍。在使用高镍含量焊接材料的气体保护金属极电弧焊和药芯焊丝电弧焊工、金属喷涂工、研磨工和锻造压力机操作工以及电池和蓄电池制造行业中观察到了最高的暴露水平（GMs≥20μg/m）。这些暴露概况对于流行病学研究以及工业卫生中的暴露评估很有用。因此，我们建议在基于社区的研究中，在估算镍暴露的健康风险时，除了职业名称外，还应收集额外的特定暴露信息。
