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Document ID (ISN)112188
CIS number 11-0848
ISSN - Serial title 1545-9624 - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
Year 2010
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Granström K.M.
Title Underestimation of terpene exposure in the Nordic wood industry
Bibliographic information Mar. 2010, Vol.7, No.3, p.144-151. Illus. 31 ref.
Internet access Underestimation_of_terpene_exposure.pdf [in English]
Abstract This study determined that emission of sesquiterpenes from processed wood warrants attention in the work environment. Currently, only the monoterpenes in the terpene group are monitored in occupational hygiene studies. Terpene emissions are a work environment issue for industries that process wood, as they are known to cause respiratory difficulties and mucous membrane irritation. Fresh sawdust of the most common boreal conifers, Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), was subjected to processing (drying), and the emissions were analyzed with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The data indicate that workers are exposed to significant amounts of sesquiterpenes, an observation that has not been recorded previously at wood processing plants. On average, the proportion of sesquiterpenes to monoterpenes was 21 ± 5% for spruce and 15 ± 5% for pine. The composition of terpenes emitted in air from spruce wood differs from the composition in resin. The sum of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes can exceed the occupational exposure limit for turpentine for processes where monoterpene concentrations are already close to the occupational exposure limit, and for processes involving the processing of bark. Findings suggest that future studies of health effects from terpenes in air should measure monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes to assess whether the current OELs are appropriate.
Descriptors (primary) Nordic Countries; terpenes; sesquiterpenes; exposure evaluation; woodworking industry
Descriptors (secondary) wood dust; determination in air; mass spectrometry; gas chromatography; threshold limit values
Document type D - Periodical articles
Subject(s) Toxic and dangerous substances
Woodworking industry
Broad subject area(s) Chemical safety
Browse category(ies) Exposure evaluation
Woodworking industry