Linnainmaa M, Kiilunen M
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Kuopio, Finland.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1997;69(3):193-200. doi: 10.1007/s004200050136.
The measurement of urinary cobalt as an estimator of exposure to airborne cobalt was evaluated during the wet sharpening of hard metal and stellite blades. The following possible confounding factors were also studied: smoking habits, personal hygiene, cobalt absorption through the skin, beer drinking, and vitamin B12 consumption. The study was conducted in 16 different workplaces manufacturing or maintaining blades and in laboratory experiments. Cobalt contamination and its removal from workers' hands were studied with different hand-washing methods, and cobalt from used gloves was also analyzed. The Finnish biomonitoring action level of 600 nmol/l (35.4 micrograms/l) was exceeded in 4 of the 16 workplaces, and the mean concentration of urinary cobalt was 241 (8-2705) nmol/l [14.2 (0.5-160) micrograms/l]. The coefficient of correlation between the cobalt concentrations in the air and in the workers' urine was 0.753. The urinary cobalt concentration corresponding to the Finnish occupational exposure limit for airborne cobalt (0.05 mg/m3) was 686 nmol/l (40.5 micrograms/l). The level of personal hygiene affected the urinary cobalt concentrations, and cobalt was absorbed through the skin. Beer and vitamin B12 consumption did not have any effect on the urinary levels of cobalt. The workers who smoked had higher urinary concentrations of cobalt than the nonsmoking workers. High concentrations of cobalt in coolants contaminated the workers' skin, and hand-washing did not remove cobalt very effectively. The results indicate that urinary cobalt can be used reliably to assess workers' exposure to airborne cobalt when wet-tip grinding processes are used. The results also show that workers' exposure to cobalt can be reduced by improving skin protection and personal hygiene in workplaces.
在硬质合金和司太立合金刀片的湿式磨削过程中，对尿钴作为空气中钴暴露指标的测量进行了评估。还研究了以下可能的混杂因素：吸烟习惯、个人卫生、皮肤对钴的吸收、啤酒饮用情况以及维生素B12的摄入量。该研究在16个制造或维修刀片的不同工作场所以及实验室实验中进行。采用不同的洗手方法研究了钴污染及其从工人手部的去除情况，还对用过的手套中的钴进行了分析。16个工作场所中有4个超过了芬兰生物监测行动水平600 nmol/l（35.4微克/升），尿钴的平均浓度为241（8 - 2705）nmol/l [14.2（0.5 - 160）微克/升]。空气中钴浓度与工人尿液中钴浓度的相关系数为0.753。对应于芬兰空气中钴职业接触限值（0.05毫克/立方米）的尿钴浓度为686 nmol/l（40.5微克/升）。个人卫生水平影响尿钴浓度，钴可通过皮肤吸收。啤酒饮用和维生素B12的摄入量对尿钴水平没有任何影响。吸烟的工人尿钴浓度高于不吸烟的工人。冷却液中高浓度的钴污染了工人的皮肤，洗手并不能非常有效地去除钴。结果表明，当使用湿磨工艺时，尿钴可可靠地用于评估工人对空气中钴的暴露情况。结果还表明，通过改善工作场所的皮肤防护和个人卫生，可以降低工人对钴的暴露。
