Metalworking fluid bioaerosols at selected workplaces in a steelworks

Exposure to metalworking fluid (MWF) aerosols has been shown to be associated with a variety of respiratory and skin diseases of workers.

Measurements of particulate aerosols, bacterial bioaerosol, and endotoxins and 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OH FAs) content in water-based and straight oil MWFs were done during an 8 hr work shift in the grindery and oil basement sections of a steelworks located in Upper Silesia, Poland.

Particulate aerosol concentrations were below NIOSH recommended occupational exposure level. Differences in concentration and taxonomical composition of airborne bacteria between grindery and oil basement were found, due to the more aggressive creation of oil mist during machining operations and different MWF characteristics, which favor growth of different bacterial strains.

The GC-MS analysis of 3-OH FAs as a marker of endotoxin contamination of the MWF and of the air seems to be a promising tool for evaluation of occupational exposure to bacterial bioaerosols.