Ruokolainen Joonas, Hyttinen Marko
Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2019 Oct;16(10):685-693. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2019.1646915. Epub 2019 Aug 7.
The floor polish removal (FPR) and reapplication (FPA) are important cleaning tasks in public buildings that have hard floor surfaces. Usually, the FPR and FPA are conducted once or twice a year, during the periodic cleaning of these buildings. The FPR can be performed either chemically (CFPR) or by using dry scrubber (DFPR), when the polish is ground from the floor. In this study, cleaning workers' exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) during the FPR and FPA, and the differences in the exposures between the two FPR methods were investigated. In total, three buildings located in Central Finland were included, and total of six cleaning workers (two per building) participated in the study. In Buildings 1 and 2, the CFPR and FPA were performed and in Building 3, the DFPR was conducted. TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) concentrations in the breathing zone of the workers during the CFPR were 8,740 and 390 µg/m (SD 3,290 and 180 µg/m) for Buildings 1 and 2, respectively. During the DFPR in Building 3, the average TVOC concentration was 400 µg/m (SD 180 µg/m, stationary sampling). The TVOC concentrations during the FPA were high, 1,640 and 2,170 µg/m on average (SD 1,570 and 930 µg/m) for Buildings 1 and 2, respectively. Glycol ethers were the most prominent VOCs during the CFPR and FPA, whereas carboxylic acids were the most common during the DFPR. The inhalable dust concentrations in the workers' breathing zone were noticeably higher during the DFPR (1.55 mg/m on average, SD 0.01 mg/m) than the CFPR (0.24 mg/m on average, SD 0.05 mg/m). Finnish occupational exposure limit value for organic inhalable dust is 5 mg/m. As the products used during the CFPR and FPA contain glycol ethers and ethanolamines that are absorbed via the skin as well, the use of skin protection is recommended. Whereas the use of FFP3 respirators and skin protection are recommended during the DFPR to prevent the PM exposure.
去除地板蜡（FPR）和重新打蜡（FPA）是公共建筑中硬地面清洁的重要任务。通常，FPR和FPA每年进行一到两次，在这些建筑的定期清洁期间进行。当蜡从地板上磨掉时，FPR可以通过化学方法（CFPR）或使用干式洗涤器（DFPR）来进行。在本研究中，调查了清洁工人在FPR和FPA期间对挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）和颗粒物（PM）的暴露情况，以及两种FPR方法之间暴露的差异。总共纳入了位于芬兰中部的三座建筑，共有六名清洁工人（每座建筑两名）参与了该研究。在1号和2号建筑中进行了CFPR和FPA，在3号建筑中进行了DFPR。在CFPR期间，1号和2号建筑中工人呼吸带的总挥发性有机化合物（TVOC）浓度分别为8740和390μg/m³（标准差分别为3290和180μg/m³）。在3号建筑的DFPR期间，TVOC平均浓度为400μg/m³（标准差180μg/m³，固定采样）。在FPA期间，TVOC浓度很高，1号和2号建筑的平均浓度分别为1640和2170μg/m³（标准差分别为1570和930μg/m³）。二醇醚是CFPR和FPA期间最突出的VOCs，而羧酸是DFPR期间最常见的。在DFPR期间，工人呼吸带的可吸入粉尘浓度（平均1.55mg/m³，标准差0.01mg/m³）明显高于CFPR（平均0.24mg/m³，标准差0.05mg/m³）。芬兰有机可吸入粉尘的职业接触限值为5mg/m³。由于CFPR和FPA期间使用的产品还含有可通过皮肤吸收的二醇醚和乙醇胺，因此建议使用皮肤防护。而在DFPR期间，建议使用FFP3呼吸器和皮肤防护以防止PM暴露。
