• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.145-157
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• 1999

Wood dust is created when machines are used to cut or shape wood materials. Industries of high risk of wood dust exposure are sawmills, dimension mills, furniture industries, and carpenters, etc. Health effects associated with wood dust exposure includes dermatitis, allergic respiratory effects and cancer. Health effects of wood dus t are mainly depend on the concentration, dust size and exposure time. This study were carried out to evaluate the concentration and particle size distribution of wood dust during working processes. The subjects of this study were 53 workers exposed to wood dust in 7 furniture factories and 5 musical instruments, and 5 sawmill factories. The average total wood dust concentrations measured by personal cascade impactor were $1.82{\pm}2.31mg/m^3$ in primary manufacture, $3.59{\pm}1.72mg/m^3$ in s econdary manufacture, $5.09{\pm}1.46mg/m^3$ in sanding operation. Mass median diameters of hardwoods dust were $3.36{\mu}m$ in primary manufacture, $4.25{\mu}m$ in secondary manufacture, $4.21{\mu}m$ in sanding operation. softwoods dust were $3.39{\mu}m$ in primary manufacture, $4.34{\mu}m$ in secondary manufacture. Particle size distributions showed a nearly the same pattern in each working processes. The sample concentration of all hardwood dust exceeded the Threshold Limit Value(TLV) and 20.8% of the softwood dust exceeded the Threshold Limit Value. The range of size distribution were $0.5-10{\mu}m$ in the soft and hardwood dust. The respirable dust of soft and hardwood took up 59% and above. Therefore new threshold limit value for wood dust should be needed in Korea. Also, it should be done for various studies on health effects related to occupational exposure of wood dust.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 1999

Combustion Characteristics of the wood chips(balsa chips) were experimental studied as fundamental investigation of the thermal recycle system of the urban dust. The urban dust contains plastics vegetable and lot of wood material. Then, a wood was chosen as an example of the component of urban dust. A small wood chip was burned in a electric furnace and mass reduction rate during volatile and combustion states were recorded by the micro-electric balance and the combustion flame shape took a photograph by video camera at the mass of wood chips and ambient temperature in the furance. Ignition delay took the minimum value when the mass of the test chip was 0.3g. When a mass of the test chip was smaller then 0.001g, combustion with flame did not burnt.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.39.1-39.14
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• 2023

Background: Diseases affecting the lungs and airways contribute significantly to the global burden of disease. The problem in low- and middle-income countries appears to be exacerbated by a shift in global manufacturing base to these countries and inadequate enforcement of environmental and safety standards. In Ghana, the potential adverse effects on respiratory function associated with occupational wood dust exposure have not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: Sixty-four male sawmill workers and 64 non-woodworkers participated in this study. The concentration of wood dust exposure, prevalence and likelihood of association of respiratory symptoms with wood dust exposure and changes in pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters in association with wood dust exposure were determined from dust concentration measurements, symptoms questionnaire and lung function test parameters. Results: Sawmill workers were exposed to inhalable dust concentration of 3.09 ± 0.04 mg/m³ but did not use respirators and engaged in personal grooming habits that are known to increase dust inhalation. The sawmill operators also showed higher prevalence and likelihoods of association with respiratory symptoms, a significant cross-shift decline in some PFT parameters and a shift towards a restrictive pattern of lung dysfunction by end of daily shift. The before-shift PFT parameters of woodworkers were comparable to those of non-woodworkers, indicating a lack of chronic effects of wood dust exposure. Conclusions: Wood dust exposure at the study site was associated with acute respiratory symptoms and acute changes in some PFT parameters. This calls for institution and enforcement of workplace and environmental safety policies to minimise exposure at sawmill operating sites, and ultimately, decrease the burden of respiratory diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.62-69
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• 2023

The use of low-grade coal is continuously increasing with the development of combustion technology and cost reduction for coal used in thermal power plants . During combustion, the latent heat of evaporation due to moisture is large, and there is a risk of spontaneous combustion and dust explosion during the process of storing and pulverizing coal. This study compared and evaluated the minimum explosive concentration and explosive strength of four types of coal dust-fine, coal dust-coarse, wood pallet+organic dust, and wood chip with coal powder collected from domestic power plant D. The minimum explosive concentration of coal dust was measured according to JIS Z 8818:2002, and the explosion strength was tested according to ASTM E1226 using a Siwek 20 L Chamber Apparatus. As a result of the minimum explosive concentration test, it was found that coal dust-fine has a risk of dust explosion, and since an explosion occurs at a dust concentration of 130 g/m³ of wood chips, it was found that there is a risk of explosion at the lowest dust concentration. According to the dust explosion class standard, Kst is less than 200 bar m/s, and all samples fall under the explosion class St 1, and the dust has a low risk of explosion.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.81-86
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• 2013

Accidents of dust explosion has been occurred in various industries as a plastics, pharmaceuticals, timber, grain storage, solid fuels and chemicals. In this study, the silo dust, hammer mill dust and Nyusong dust in the manufacturing process of the particle board to utilize west wood, which were selected for this experiment and were evaluated the characteristics of dust explosion. The explosion characteristics such as a maximum explosion pressure, explosion index, lower explosive limit, and minimum ignition energy in suspended dust of the wood by Siwek 20 L apparatus were measured and evaluated for the experiment. The results of this study can be used the process safety measures to prevent accidents of fire and explosion in the suspended dust of wood.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4339-4345
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• 2015

Occupational exposure to wood dust is one cause of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC); however, assessing this exposure remains problematic. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a semi-quantitative exposure assessment method and then utilize it to evaluate the association between occupational exposure to wood dust and the development of NPC. In addition, variations in risk by histology were examined. A case-control study was conducted with 327 newly diagnosed cases of NPC at the National Cancer Institute and regional cancer centers in Thailand with 1:1 controls matched for age, gender and geographical residence. Occupational information was obtained through personal interviews. The potential probability, frequency and intensity of exposure to wood dust were assessed on a job-by-job basis by experienced experts. Analysis was performed by conditional logistic regression and presented in odds ratio (ORs) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, a non significant relationship between occupational wood dust exposure and NPC risk for all subjects was observed (ORs=1.61, 95%CI 0.99-2.59); however, the risk became significant when analyses focused on types 2 and 3 of NPC (ORs=1.62, 95%CI 1.03-2.74). The significant association was stronger for those exposed to wood dust for > 10 year (ORs=2.26, 95%CI 1.10-4.63), for those with first-time exposure at age > 25 year (ORs=2.07, 95%CI 1.08-3.94), and for those who had a high cumulative exposure (ORs=2.17, 95%CI 1.03-4.58) when compared with those considered unexposed. In conclusion, wood dust is likely to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 or 3 NPC in the Thai population. The results of this study show that semi-quantitative exposure assessment is suitable for occupational exposure assessment in a case control study and complements the information from self-reporting.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.317-326
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• 2024

Background: Dust generated during various wood-related activities, such as cutting, sanding, or processing wood materials, can pose significant health and environmental risks due to its potential to cause respiratory problems and contribute to air pollution. Understanding the factors influencing dust emission is important for devising effective mitigation strategies, ensuring a safer working environment, and minimizing environmental impact. This study focuses on developing an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict dust emission values in the machining of black poplar (Populus nigra L.), oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.), and medium-density fiberboards. Methods: The multilayer feed-forward ANN model is developed using a customized application built with MATLAB code. The inputs to the ANN model include material type, cutting width, number of blades, and cutting depth, whereas the output is the dust emission. Model performance is assessed through graphical and statistical comparisons. Results: The results reveal that the developed ANN model can provide adequate predictions for dust emission with an acceptable level of accuracy. Through the implementation of the ANN model, the study predicts intermediate dust emission values for different cutting widths and cutting depths, which are not considered in the experimental work. It is observed that dust emission tends to decrease with reductions in cutting width and cutting depth. Conclusion: This study introduces an alternative approach to optimize machining-process conditions for minimizing dust emissions. The findings of this research will assist industries in obtaining dust emission values without the need for additional experimental activities, thereby reducing experimental time and costs.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.917-925
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• 2023

Efforts for developing the domestic horse industry in South Korea are evident through the various national policies. Proper management of stables for ensuring the health of horses is essential to sustain the growing equine industry. This study aimed to measure the fine dust emissions in stables based on the type and quantity of bedding used for horses, for establishing guidelines pertaining to bedding use in stables. The stables accommodated 12 horses. Sawdust, wood shavings, wood pellet, and straw were chosen as treatments. Three different quantities (approximately 3, 6, and 9 cm in height) were applied for each type. Fine dust measurements were carried out at three time points, with each measuring period lasting for approximately three weeks. Measurements included PM2.5 and PM10 fine dust levels. The initial analysis revealed that, sawdust with 9 cm bedding had the highest dust levels; approximately 54.6 ㎍/m³, for PM2.5 and 95.3 ㎍/m³, for PM10. Sawdust bedding at the highest quantity (9 cm) exhibited significantly higher initial fine dust emissions. These findings suggest that bedding materials with smaller particle size, such as sawdust and wood shavings, tend to produce finer dust. Initially, the fine dust emissions decreased in all bedding types and quantities, possibly due to the increased moisture content of bedding owing to horse manure production. However, emissions increased subsequently due to ammonia production.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.10-21
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• 2006

Recycled polypropylene (RPP) - Wood Saw Dust (WSD) composites with and without acetylation of filler were produced at different filler loading (15%, 25%, 35% and 45% w/w) and filler size (300, 212 and $100{\mu}m$). The RPP-WSD was compounded using a Haake Rheodrive 500 twin screw compounder at $190^{\circ}C$ at 8 MPa for 30 minutes. The mechanical properties and water absorption properties of modified and unmodified WSD-PP composites were investigated. Acetylation of WSD improved the mechanical and water absorption characteristic of composites. The decrease of filler size (300 to $100{\mu}m$) of the unmodified and acetylated WSD showed increase of tensile strength and impact properties. The composites exhibited higher tensile modulus properties as the filler loading increased (15% to 45%). However tensile strength, elongation at break and impact strength showed the opposite phenomenon. Water absorption increased as the mesh number and filler loading increased. With acetylation, lower moisture absorption was observed as compared to unmodified WSD. The failure mechanism from impact fracture of the filler-matrix interface with and without acetylation was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.22 no.3 s.81
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• pp.13-21
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• 2007

Personal and static sampling for formaldehyde, wood dust and noise monitoring, in accordance to the equipment running on the day, were carried out throughout wood panel manufacturing process. Even though the exposure level of formaldehyde and wood dust were below than exposure criteria, but the personal protective equipment(PPE) for those should be worn to everyone in the process because of its potential characteristics like carcinogenicity. Also a few local air extraction system above the cutting, grinding sections and organic blending room should be required. Most of the exposures of noise exposure were exceeded permitted exposure criteria, in case of Hopper operators, exposed to maximally 94dB(A) as LAeq 8hr, therefore active controls like PPE, monitoring, isolation etc. are necessary. The main sources of noise were caused on compressed air of the machinery, radio sound and operation noise like running machines, conveying, cutting, sawing, moving vehicles, storing and so on. For the comparison of control criteria in each country, the permitted exposure standards for above hazardous materials and noise in Korea, ACGIH and Australia were discussed. We have recognized that the Korean criteria should be discussed urgently to give the right information to employee and modified, if it is necessary.