Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021 Jan 1;207:111270. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111270. Epub 2020 Sep 16.
Risk assessment is an important tool in predicting the possible risk to health. It heightens awareness by estimating the probability of adverse health effects in humans who are exposed to chemicals in the course of their work. Therefore, the present work aims to determine the occupational exposure of operating room staff to the volatile anesthetic gases, isoflurane and sevoflurane, and estimates non-cancer risk using the United States Environmental Protection Agency method. Air samples from the breathing zone of staff members were collected using the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Method 103 and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results indicate that the measured concentrations of isoflurane and sevoflurane are below the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health standard (2 ppm) for technicians and nurses, but not for anesthesiologists and surgeons. Moreover, the estimated non-cancer risk due to isoflurane is above the acceptable value for anesthesiologists (but acceptable for other occupational categories). A sensitivity analysis indicates that exposure time has the most effect on calculated risk (53.4%). Occupational exposure to anesthetic gases may endanger the health of operating room personnel. Therefore, control measures, such as daily testing of anesthetic devices, ensuring the effectiveness of ventilation systems, advanced scavenging methods, and regular training of staff are highly recommended.
风险评估是预测健康潜在风险的重要工具。它通过估计在工作过程中接触化学物质的人类发生不良健康影响的概率来提高认识。因此，本工作旨在使用美国环境保护署的方法确定手术室工作人员对挥发性麻醉气体异氟烷和七氟烷的职业暴露，并使用该方法估计非癌症风险。使用职业安全与健康管理局方法 103 从工作人员呼吸区采集空气样本，并使用气相色谱-质谱法进行分析。结果表明，异氟烷和七氟烷的测量浓度低于国家职业安全与健康研究所为技术员和护士制定的标准（2ppm），但低于麻醉师和外科医生的标准。此外，由于异氟烷导致的非癌症风险估计值高于麻醉师的可接受值（但对其他职业类别是可接受的）。敏感性分析表明，暴露时间对计算风险的影响最大（53.4%）。麻醉气体的职业暴露可能危及手术室人员的健康。因此，强烈建议采取控制措施，如每天测试麻醉设备、确保通风系统的有效性、采用先进的清除方法以及定期培训工作人员。
