| 초록 |
Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate microbial exposure hazards in the metal-working fluids(MWF) handling industry. Methods: Air quality parameters(airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and oil mist) and bulk MWF in storage tanks were evaluated at 54 points at nine sites in South Korea. Results: The geometric means(GM) of culturable airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and oil mist concentration were $133CFU/m^3$ (n=376, range $7{ sim}6,510CFU/m^3$ ), $159CFU/m^3$ (n=381, range $7{ sim}8,469CFU/m^3$ ), $8.06EU/m^3$ (n=103, range $0.34{ sim}280.4EU/m^3$ ) and $0.20mg/m^3$ (n=104, range $0.01{ sim}2.87mg/m^3$ ), respectively. The ratio of indoor to outdoor concentration was 2.7 for bacteria, 6.1 for endotoxin, and 4.8 for oil mist. Even though average airborne bacteria concentration did not exceed recommended exposure limits( $1,000CFU/m^3$ ), MWF in the storage tanks was highly contaminated with bacteria(arithmetic mean $2.1{ times}10^6CFU/ml$ ) and exceeded recommended bacteria limits( $10^5CFU/ml$ ). Conclusions: It is necessary for MWF handling workplaces to conduct periodical biohazard inspection of MWF storage tanks. Additionally, further research may be necessary to establish biological occupational exposure limits. |
