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Assessment of exposure to cobalt and its compounds in Italian industrial settings
Alberto Scarselli1, Davide Di Marzio2, Sergio Iavicoli2
1INAIL. a.scarselli@inail.it.
Background:
Adverse health effects of occupational exposure to cobalt and its compounds are well-documented.
Objectives:
The aim of the study is to evaluate exposures to cobalt in Italian industrial settings.
Methods:
Data on cobalt and its compounds were collected from an occupational exposure registry. Statistical analysis was carried out for some exposure-related variables (i.e., cobalt compound, activity sector, occupational group, firm size). The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for selected industrial sectors.
Results:
Overall 1,701 measurements were analyzed in the period 1996-2016. The geometric mean of cobalt airborne concentration was 0.33 µg/m3. Most exposures occurred in the manufacture of fabricated metal products (50%) and among metal finishing-, plating- and coating-machine operators (42%). A total of 30,401 workers potentially exposed to cobalt was estimated, over 72% were male.
Conclusions:
Identifying professional groups at high-risk of exposure can help to control the most dangerous situations for workers' health. Surveillance systems based on occupational exposure registries contribute to support systematic improvement of working conditions.
