• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.21-28
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• 2000

Various man-made mineral fibers(MMMF) including refractory ceramic fiber(RCF) have been used widely in industries as insulation materials. The effect of fibrous dust on human health depends on fiber size, concentration (exposure level), and durability in biological system. Therefore, these parameters should be determined to evaluate accurately the potential risk of fibers on human health. The purpose of this study was to characterize the size of airborne fiber and the workers＇ exposure to airborne fibers in refractory ceramic fiber manufacturing and processing factories. Airborne fibers were collected on 25-mm mixed cellulose ester membrane filters at personal breathing zones, and analyzed by A and B counting rules of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) Method # 7400. The average ratios of the fiber density by B rule to the fiber density by A rule was 0.84. This result indicates that the proportion of respirable fibers (<3 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ diameter) in air samples was high. The average diameter and length of airborne fibers were 1.05${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and 35${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, respectively. The average fiber concentrations (GM) of all personal samples was 0.26f/cc, and the average concentration was highest at blanket cutting and packing processes. The fifty seven percent of personal air samples was exceeded the proposed American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists(ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value(TLV), i.e. 0.2 f/cc. It was concluded that the RCF industrial workers had the higher potential health risk due to small fiber diameter, long fiber length, and high exposure level to the airborne fibers.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.43-57
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• 1996

To characterize worker's exposure to glass fibers, to find the correlation between airborne total dust concentrations and fiber concentrations and to recommend an appropriate evaluation method for worker's exposure to fibrous dusts in glass wool industry, we carried out this study. Average respirable fiber levels at five factories were 0.013-0.056 f/cc, and fairly below the OSHA PEL, 1 f/cc. A factory showed the lowest airborne fiber level, 0.013 f/cc, which was different significantly from those of other factories of which average fiber concentration was 0.046 f/cc. The cutting and grinding operations of insulation products resulted in higher airborne fiber cocentrations than any other processes(p<0.05). To characterize airborne fiber dimension, fiber length and diamter were determined using phase contrast microscope. The geometric means of airborne fiber lengths were $42-105 \mu m$. One factory had airborne fibers whose length distribution(GM = $105 \mu m$) was different from those of other factories(GM = $42-50 \mu m$). The percentages of respirable fibers less thinner than 3 gm were 38.9-90.9% at four factories, and two factories of them had the higher percentages than others. The findings explain for variation of airborne fiber diameters between factories. On the other hand, between the processes were the difference of fiber-length distributions observed. The cutting and grinding operations showed shorter fiber-length distributions than the fiber forming one. However, fiber-diameter distributions or respirable fiber contents were similar in all processes. The airborne fiber concentrations and the dust concentrations had relatively weak correlation(r=0.25), thus number of fibers couldn't be expected reliably from dust amount. Fiber count is appropriate for assessing accurate exposures and health effects caused by fibrous dusts including glass fibers. Ministry of Labor have established occupational exposure limit to glass fibers as nuisiance dust, but should establish it on the basis of respirable fiber concentration to provide adequate protection for worker's health

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2005

Penetration and health effect of fibers was related with their diameters and length. The purpose of this study is to characterize and compare the diameter and length of airborne man-made mineral fibers(MMMF) or synthetic vitreous fibers in the related industries. The average fiber length of the continuous filament glass, rock wool, refractory ceramic, and glass wool fibers production industries approximately 27, 28, 35, $50-105{\mu}m$. Airborne glass fibers were longest in all the type of MMMFs. The average diameters of airborne fibers generated from refractory ceramic, rock wool, glass wool, continuous filament glass fibers production industries were approximately 1.0, 1.6, 1.5-4 and $10{\mu}m$, respectively. The percentages of respirable fibers(<$3{\mu}m$) were 94% for RCFs, 73% for rock wool fibers, 61.0% for glass fibers, and 1.6% for filament glass fibers. The length of glass fibers were the longest in all types of fibers, and length of the others were similar. The refractory ceramic fibers were smallest in diameters and highest in fraction of respirable fibers.