The use of GC/MS analysis and fungal culturing in a pulp mill industrial hygiene program

This paper describes the use of unconventional IH monitoring and analytical techniques to understand better an occupational environment with respect to suspected contaminants. The environment described is an underground wood chip conveying tunnel of a pulp mill, where employees would experience occasional dermatitis and/or respiratory distress symptoms. GC/MS and fungal culturing methods were used to identify contaminants. Appropriate control methods were implemented to eliminate the contaminant believed to cause the illness: fungi spores.