• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제15권3호
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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.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.134-139
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to study the analytical variability of A & B counting rules in counting using a phase contrast microscope airborne fibers collected on filters in man-made mineral or vitreous fibers (MMMFs) industries. Methods: Fibers in filters were counted using A & B rules of NIOSH Method 7400. Intra-counter and inter-counter variations by fiber type and density were obtained. The types of MMMFs analyzed were glass wool fiber, rock wool fiber, slag wool fiber, and refractory ceramic fibers. The densities of fibers classified were <20 $fibers/mm^2,$ 20 - <50 $fibers/mm^2$, 50 - <100 $fibers/mm^2,$ and ${\geq}100$ $fibers/mm^2,$ respectively. Results: Intra-counter relative standard deviations by rule A were 0.084, 0.102, 0.071 for glass wool fibers, rock wool fibers and refractory ceramic fibers, and those by rule B were 0.139, 0.120 and 0.142, respectively. Inter-counter relative standard deviations by rule A were 0.281, 0.296, 0.180 for glass wool fibers, rock wool fibers and refractory ceramic fibers, and those by rule B were 0.396, 0.337 and 0.238, respectively. Conclusions: Intra-counter variation was not different significantly among fiber types (p>0.05), but B rule variation for ceramic fibers approximately 2 times greater than corresponding A rule estimates, and intra-counter and inter-counter variations were higher in the low fiber density.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.158-166
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between airborne total dust and man-made mineral fibers (MMMF), and to estimate total dust concentration to maintain below the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV$^{(R)}$) for the MMMF. The regression coefficients between airborne total dust concentrations and fiber concentrations determined in the industries producing glass fibers, rock wool. refractory ceramic and continuous filament glass fibers products were 0.41, 0.42, 0.20 and 0.19, respectively. The size characteristics of fibers as well as the amounts of contaminated non-fibrous dusts could affect the correlation intensities. When total dust and fiber exposure data were compared with the occupational exposure limits, there was a large gap between two evaluation results. The regression coefficient between total dust and fiber data was increased ($r^2=0.88$) in the process of insulation installation generating in the higher levels of glass or rock wool fibers. In this case, an estimated total dust concentration of glass wool or rock wool fibers complying with the ACGIH TLV (1 f/cc) was $1.7mg/m^3$. In conclusion, the total dust and fibers concentrations was highly correlated at the higher exposure levels so that total dust-monitoring data could be used to control simply and economically and to estimate worker's exposure to fibers.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.11-16
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• 2006

There are many counting rules for analyzing man-made mineral fibers. The representatives are the NIOSH Method 7400 A and B counting rules. The two rules have different rules of length-to-width ratio(aspect ratio) and diameter. The A rule counts only fibers $>5{\mu}m$ in length, and only fibers with aspect ratio >3:1. The B rule counts only ends of fibers $>5{\mu}m$ in length and $<3{\mu}m$ in diameter, and only fibers with aspect ratio ${\geq}5:1$. The A counting rule had been used before the B counting rule was introduced. The purpose of this study is to compare the A and B counting rules for airborne fibers from various man-made mineral fibers(glass wool fibers, rock wool fibers, refractory ceramic fibers, and continuous filament glass fibers) industries. There were significantly differences between the paired counts of A and B rules in all types of fibers(p<0.05). A rule counts/B rule counts(A/B ratios) were 1.52 for glass fibers, 1.53 for rock wool fibers, 1.19 for RCF, and 1.82 for continuous filament glass fibers. The counting results by A and B counting rules were highly correlated in glass wool fibers, rock wool fibers and refractory ceramic fibers(RCF) samples (r=0.96 for all types of fibers) except continuous filament glass fibers(r=0.82). Regression equations to correct for the differences between counting rules were presented in this paper.