Exposure to particulate matter on an Indian stone-crushing site

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Science
• Public Health

Background:

• The stone-crushing industry in India employs numerous laborers.
• These workers are often exposed to high levels of particulate matter (PM) in their homes due to biomass fuel use.
• Investigating occupational and domestic exposures is crucial for worker health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize exposure to respirable crystalline silica and various particulate matter metrics.
• To assess exposures in both occupational and domestic settings for stone-crushing industry workers.
• To evaluate the health risks associated with these combined exposures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized direct reading and gravimetric sampling for respirable dust, total inhalable dust, and PM2.5.
• Conducted sampling at workplaces (n=19), general environment (n=6), and homes (n=7).
• Employed X-ray diffraction to quantify crystalline silica levels in respirable dust.

Main Results:

• Mean 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) exposures were 143 mg/m³ for total inhalable dust, 39.7 mg/m³ for respirable dust, and 2.29 mg/m³ for crystalline silica.
• Real-time data indicated exposure peaks under specific environmental and working conditions.
• General environmental and domestic PM2.5 exposures were also found to be high.

Conclusions:

• Particulate matter exposures in this population are likely to cause rapid lung function impairment.
• Simple measures are needed to reduce occupational PM exposure.
• Reducing domestic PM exposure from biomass fuels is also essential for worker families.