Browse > Article

Employee Exposures to Waste Anesthetic Gases in Hospital Operating Rooms  

Cha, Jung Young (Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University)
Paek, Do Myung (Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University)
Paik, Nam Won (Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University)
Publication Information
Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene / v.16, no.3, 2006 , pp. 193-201 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study was performed to investigate employee exposures to waste anesthetic gases, such as enflurane and sevoflurane in operating rooms of general surgical, children's and dental clinics of a large hospital located in Seoul and to analyze factors affecting the concentrations of waste anesthetic gases. The results of the study are summarized below. 1. Based on results of personal and area samples for airborne enflurane, all of the employees investigated in this study were exposed to airborne enflurane concentrations below the ACGIH-threshold limit value (TLV) of 75 ppm. 2. However, based on results of personal samples for sevoflurane, employees of two (2) out of eleven (11) operating rooms were exposed to sevoflurane concentrations in excess of the NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) of 2 ppm. A similar trend was found in the area samples. 3. To investigate the source of sevoflurane emissions, airborne sevoflurane concentrations were measured on an anesthesia machine, a drug cabinet and a desk. It was indicated that the geometric means were 0.93 ppm, 0.83 ppm and 0.72 ppm, respectively. 4. Factors affecting waste anesthetic gas concentrations were the age of anesthesia machine, the volume of operating room and the extent of ventilation (p<0.05). 5. It is recommended that the use of anesthesia equipments be properly controlled, the operating room be well ventilated, and the airborne concentrations of anesthetic gases be continuously monitored.
Keywords
enflurane; sevoflurane; waste anesthetic gases; TWA concentration; scavenging system;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Byhahn C, Heller K, Lischke V, Westphal K. Surgeon's occupational exposure to nitrous oxide and sevoflurane during pediatric surgery. World J Surg 2001;25: 1109-1112   DOI   ScienceOn
2 American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). 2002 TLVs and BEIs Based on the Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Biological Exposure Indices. ACGIH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2003
3 Andrea M. Sass-Kortsak, Purdham JT, Bozek PR, Murphy JH : Exposure of hospital operating room personnel potentially harmful environmental agents. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1992;53:203-209.   DOI
4 Hoerauf K, Koller C, Jakob W, Taeger K, Hobbhahn J. Isoflurane waste gas exposure during general anaesthesia: the laryngeal mask compared with tracheal intubation. British Journal of Anaesth 1996;77:189-193
5 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Anesthetic gases guidelines for workplace exposures. 1999 July[Revised 2000 May] Available from: URL:http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/ anesthet icgases/index.html
6 대한마취과학회 교과서편집위원회. 마취과학.이문각; 1998. (35-142쪽.)
7 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Health Care Workers Guidelines. NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1998
8 Crouch KG, McGlothlin JD, Johnston OE [1999]. A Long-Term study of the development of N2O controls at a pediatric dental facility. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 2000;61:753-756   DOI
9 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Sampling and Analytical Method 103, OSHA, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1994
10 Hobbhahn J, Hoerauf K, Wiesner G, Schroegendorfer K, Taeger K.Waste Gas Exposure during Desflurane and Isoflurane anaesthesia. Acta-Anaesthesiol-Scand. 1998; 42: 864-867   DOI   ScienceOn
11 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Chemical Sampling Information Sevoflurane, OSHA, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2001
12 Johnson JA, Buchan RM, Reif JS. Effect of waste anesthetic gas and vapor exposure on reproductive outcome in veterinary personnel. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1987;48:62-66
13 Krenzischek, DA, Schaefer J, Nolan M, Bukowski J, Twilley M, Bernacki E, Dorman T (2002). Phase I Collaborative Pilot Study: Waste Anesthetic Gas Levels in the PACU. J PeriAnesth Nurs 2002; 17:227-239   DOI   ScienceOn
14 Tran N, Elias J, Rosenberg T, Wylie D, Gaborieau D, Yassi A. Evaluation of waste anesthetic gases, monitoring strategies, and correlations between nitrous oxide levels and health symptoms. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1994;55(1):36-41   DOI